Russia launched a major daylight attack on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure facilities on Wednesday, despite Donald Trump’s insistence that the war will soon end. Dozens of drones attempted to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defences ahead of expected missile strikes, Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency reported.
Massive Drone Barrage
Air raid sirens sounded over Kyiv at around 11am local time as Ukrainian trackers reported that some 200 unmanned drones were heading south and west from the border with Belarus. Poland scrambled fighter jets and helicopters as a preventative measure, with ground-based air defences placed on heightened readiness.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that there were “more than a hundred” Russian drones flying over Ukraine early in the morning, warning that more waves were likely to follow. “Russia continues its strikes and is doing so brazenly – deliberately targeting our railway infrastructure and civilian sites in our cities,” the Ukrainian president said in a social media post. “Unfortunately, people were wounded and killed in these strikes; my condolences to all their families and loved ones,” he added, referring to attacks in 14 regions on Tuesday.
Civilian Casualties
Russian attacks in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk hit civilian sites, killing at least six people on Tuesday and dashing hopes that a three-day ceasefire that ended on Monday could be extended. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia had hit the country with 139 drones since 6pm on Tuesday, of which 111 were downed or neutralised.
Russia has stepped up daytime attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks in a change of tactics likely to be more disruptive to civilian life. Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to the defence minister, said Wednesday's attack showed Russia was trying to change its tactics of using drones every time. Large numbers of drones moved along between 5 km and 10 km from the Belarus border to overwhelm Ukraine's air defence system, allowing as many as possible to reach western Ukraine.
Regional Impacts
The western Khmelnytskyi region came under attack, with the regional governor reporting three people wounded. In the southern city of Kherson, six passengers and a driver were wounded in a Russian drone attack on a city bus. In Odesa, two people were wounded, according to preliminary information. In Kyiv, drone debris fell on open territory in the northern Obolon district.
Moscow denies intentionally targeting civilians but has killed thousands during the war, stating that strikes on civil infrastructure are legitimate if they degrade Ukraine's warfighting capabilities.
Ukraine Strikes Back
Ukraine resumed drone attacks on Russia's oil refineries and ports on Wednesday, two days after a three-day ceasefire proposed by President Trump expired. Russia's defence ministry said 286 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted and destroyed over Russian regions overnight.
Russia and Ukraine traded blows just hours after the US president said he believed the war was “very close” to ending. “The end of the war in Ukraine I really think it's getting very close,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to China. The comments echoed recent remarks from Putin that “the matter” of the war “is coming to an end”.
Diplomatic Stalemate
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s longstanding position that a ceasefire could take place and peace talks could start if Ukraine withdraws from the eastern Donbas region, something Kyiv has emphatically rejected. Peskov also said Russia was interested in pursuing joint economic projects with the US if Washington stops linking trade ties with a peace deal on Ukraine.
Zelensky cast doubt on Russia’s willingness to end the conflict on Monday, saying: “Russia has no intention of ending this war. And we are, unfortunately, preparing for new attacks.”
