Russia Launches Devastating Missile and Drone Attacks on Ukraine, Killing at Least Four

Russia escalates its assault on Ukraine with massive missile and drone strikes, targeting multiple regions and leaving at least four dead.

Russia launched a series of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine early Tuesday, targeting multiple regions and killing at least four people, according to Ukraine’s military. This assault comes just a day after Moscow executed its largest airstrike of the ongoing war against its neighboring country.

Casualties and Destruction in Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia

In the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, two people were killed when a hotel was “wiped out” in one of the strikes, regional officials reported. The town of Zaporizhzhia, located east of Kryvyi Rih, also suffered from the attacks, with two people losing their lives in a drone strike. The overnight assault has left several injured in both cities, with the accurate scale of the destruction still being assessed.

Kyiv Under Siege

Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, was not spared from the onslaught. The region’s military administration reported multiple deployments of air defense systems throughout the night to fend off incoming missiles and drones. Reuters witnesses described hearing at least three rounds of explosions in Kyiv overnight.

Moscow’s Massive Monday Strike

The attacks on Tuesday followed what Ukrainian officials described as the most significant air attack by Russia on the country since the war began. On Monday, Russia launched over 200 missiles and drones, killing at least seven people and damaging critical energy infrastructure. U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the attacks, labeling them “outrageous.”

Moscow’s Retaliation and Strategic Challenges

The recent surge in Russian attacks is in retaliation for Ukraine’s unprecedented incursion into Russian territory in the Kursk region, marking the first such action since World War II. Despite Moscow’s assertions of punishing Ukraine for the incursion, analysts from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War expressed doubts about Russia’s ability to sustain such large-scale attacks regularly, citing limitations in its defense-industrial capacity.

Several Russian pro-war bloggers, including the group known as Rybar, have also characterized the attacks as retribution for Ukraine’s actions. The Kremlin, while denying targeting civilians, has promised further responses to Ukraine’s incursions. However, the full impact of these promises remains uncertain.

Ongoing Air Raid Alerts and Rescue Efforts

Air raid alerts were in effect across Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv, and other central and eastern regions of Ukraine for most of the night, beginning around 2000 GMT on Monday. Rescue efforts are still underway in Kryvyi Rih, where two civilians are believed to be trapped under the rubble of the destroyed hotel. In addition, six shops, four high-rise buildings, and eight cars were reported damaged in the attack, according to Serhiy Lisak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

In Zaporizhzhia, local governor Ivan Fedorov reported that two people were killed and four others injured in the overnight attack by Iranian-made Shahed drones, which Kyiv claims Russia frequently uses in its assaults.

Unverified Reports and Continued Tension

While Ukraine’s air force has recorded the launch of several groups of drones and the deployment of Russian strategic bombers and interceptor aircraft, Reuters could not independently verify these reports. As of now, there has been no immediate comment from Russia regarding the latest attacks.

The Kremlin continues to deny allegations of targeting civilians, maintaining that its strikes are focused on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. However, the ongoing assaults have led to widespread destruction and loss of life, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

As the conflict intensifies, the world watches closely, with the potential for further escalation remaining high.