KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — In the dead of night on Monday, Russia unleashed a brutal wave of missiles and drones on Ukraine, leaving devastation in its wake. This latest barrage was one of the largest in recent weeks, killing four, injuring more than a dozen, and leaving critical infrastructure in shambles.
The attack kicked off around midnight, with missiles and drones raining down from the skies.
By dawn, the damage was clear, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t hold back in his response, calling the strikes “vile.” The assault, targeting various regions from the east to the west, wasn’t just a random act of aggression—it was a calculated strike on Ukraine.
People of Kyiv wake up to the sound of explosions—an all-too-familiar nightmare for residents. Power and water supplies took a hit, throwing the capital into chaos.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the disruptions, highlighting just how much the attack had impacted daily life.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had grim news to share: 15 regions were hit, which is more than half the country.
We’re talking about drones, cruise missiles, and even those hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.
Once again, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure took the brunt of the assault, forcing the government to implement emergency power cuts to keep the grid from collapsing entirely.
Shmyhal addressed Ukraine’s allies, urging them to step up with long-range weapons and permission to strike back at the heart of Russia.
His message was clear: to stop these relentless attacks on Ukrainian cities, they need to take out the launch sites in Russia itself.
He emphasized that with the support of allies, Ukraine would ensure Russia pays dearly for these barbaric acts.
Over in the U.S., President Joe Biden condemned the attack as “outrageous.” He also announced that the U.S. had re-prioritized air defense exports, making sure they get to Ukraine first.
Plus, they’re speeding up the delivery of energy equipment to help Ukraine repair and strengthen its grid.
The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, was quick to claim responsibility.
They boasted about using “long-range precision air- and sea-based weapons and strike drones” to hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Their goal? Crippling the operations that support Ukraine’s military-industrial complex. And according to them, every single target was hit.
The human toll of this assault is heartbreaking. Four lives were lost: one in Lutsk, another in Dnipropetrovsk, one in Zhytomyr, and one in the Zaporizhzhia region. Thirteen others were injured, scattered across Kyiv, Lutsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa.
The aftermath wasn’t just about casualties, though. Regions across Ukraine were plunged into darkness, with blackouts reported from Sumy to Mykolaiv. In Sumy, a region that borders Russia, nearly 200 settlements lost power entirely, while others dealt with partial outages.
DTEK, a private energy company, quickly introduced emergency blackouts, and across the country, “points of invincibility” were reopened. These shelters, first introduced during last year’s brutal winter, offer a place for people to charge their phones and grab a cup of tea—simple comforts in times of crisis.
Meanwhile, just across the border in Poland, the military wasn’t taking any chances.
Polish and NATO air defenses were activated in the country’s east, a clear sign that this conflict isn’t just Ukraine’s problem.
Back in Russia, the tables were turned with a Ukrainian drone strike overnight. The Saratov region, home to a significant military airfield, took a hit.
Four people were injured when drones targeted residential buildings in the cities of Saratov and Engels. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed they intercepted 22 Ukrainian drones, but the damage was already done.
The situation on the ground in Russia’s Kursk region also remains tense.
Ukrainian forces reportedly attempted to advance on several settlements, catching Russia off-guard earlier this month.
The fighting there is raising international concerns, especially about the nuclear power plant in the area. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, is planning to visit the plant on Tuesday—a visit that’s taking on new urgency as the conflict escalates.
