Unprecedented Night of Destruction: Russias Largest Air Assault Amid Rising Tensions and Tragic Casualties

Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched its most extensive air assault of the ongoing conflict early Thursday morning. Meanwhile, regional authorities in Russia stated that a senior woman was killed, and tens of thousands experienced power outages after Ukrainian drone attacks targeted the southern and central regions of the country.

A drone strike hit a two-story apartment building in the village of Dolotinka in the Rostov region, resulting in the death of a retired teacher, as noted by Acting Governor Yury Slyusar in a Telegram post.

In the nearby town of Shakhty, another strike left 2,000 residences without electricity, although no injuries were reported, according to Slyusar’s statements.

In the Moscow region, Governor Andrei Vorobyov mentioned that four drones crashed in the Sergiyev Posad district, injuring two individuals and damaging a power substation.

Authorities in Sergiyev Posad estimated that 42,000 residents lost electrical service, while the regional utility provider, Rosseti Moscow Region, later indicated that power had been partially restored.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses intercepted 48 Ukrainian drones over five regions overnight, asserting that 26 drones were downed over the Rostov area, though no drones were reported down in the Moscow region.

Civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended flights in Volgograd, Samara, Saratov, Yaroslavl, Kazan, and Nizhnekamsk as a precautionary measure.

In the meantime, Ukraine indicated that Russia had initiated its largest aerial attack since the escalation of the invasion. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force, stated that Russia deployed a total of 550 drones and missiles in a single overnight assault.

In Kyiv, the Russian strikes resulted in at least 23 injuries and caused damage to railways, leading to passenger trains experiencing delays of up to two hours, as reported by Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Ukraine’s national railway service.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remarked that the attacks demonstrated that “without significant pressure, Russia will persist in its irrational, destructive actions.” He emphasized that “for every attack against civilians and human lives, they must face appropriate sanctions and repercussions on their economy, revenues, and infrastructure,” as stated in a post on X.

Later, Russia’s Defense Ministry characterized the overnight airstrike on Ukraine as a “high-precision” retaliation for what it deemed “terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime.”

The clashes in both nations occurred just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump, who commented that he “didn’t make any progress” toward ending the conflict in Ukraine during their hour-long discussion.

Since his inauguration in January, Trump has aimed to facilitate a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, assisting in the organization of the first direct peace talks between the two sides since the early days of the full-scale invasion.

Despite agreeing to several prisoner exchanges, however, both Ukraine and Russia have yet to commit to a temporary ceasefire, which the White House has been advocating for over recent months.

Last week, Putin stated that Moscow and Kyiv are far from achieving a peace agreement, characterizing the demands from both sides as “absolutely contradictory.”

Reporting by AFP contributed to this article.