Even before dawn, a continuous salvo of drones and missiles swept over Ukraine as air alarms sounded from east to south, making Kyiv the focus of one of the most sustained airstrikes since the start of the full-scale war. At least four people were killed and dozens injured while emergency services fought hours of fires in residential blocks, factories and clinics.
According to the Ukrainian military, hundreds of attack drones and several dozen missiles were launched overnight and most were taken out of the air, yet projectiles smashed through the shield and hit suburbs of the capital and industry in the south, among others. President Volodymyr Zelensky called on partners to increase pressure on Russia's war chest and speed up air defenses so that repeated salvos can do less damage.
The waves were estimated to last more than 12 hours and were also felt across the border, Poland temporarily closed airspace in the southeast and allowed fighter jets to take off as a precautionary measure after which the restrictions were lifted after the danger subsided. This is a signal that any large-scale offensive against Ukraine immediately raises the alert along NATO's eastern flank.
Moscow, meanwhile, declared that military and military-industrial targets were the target, a classic justification that clashes with reports of damage to civilian targets and images of stricken residential neighborhoods and healthcare facilities. The contrast between claims and debris is once again putting the discussion of additional sanctions and air defense resources on edge in European capitals.
