Post by : Rameen Ariff

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Thursday that Russian forces launched an unprecedented barrage of over 650 drones and more than 50 missiles overnight targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and civilian areas.

The assault, described as one of the largest since the start of Russia’s full‑scale invasion, centred on energy facilities—power plants and transmission lines—leaving thousands without electricity and plunging large swathes of the country into darkness. Zelenskiy wrote on X: “Many were shot down, but unfortunately there have been hits.”

Despite Ukraine’s air defence systems reportedly neutralising the majority of incoming threats, several strikes succeeded in hitting their targets. Eyewitnesses in Kyiv and the eastern Zaporizhzhia region reported explosions overnight, followed by fires at substations and disrupted sections of residential power grids.

Ukraine’s government has raised the alarm that the volume and scale of this aerial campaign reflect a strategic shift by Russia—moving beyond isolated missile strikes to a massive, multi‑vector assault designed to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defences and degrade civilian resilience ahead of winter.

In response, Zelenskiy reiterated his call to Western allies for reinforcement of long‑range air‑defence systems and advanced surveillance capabilities. “We must be ready to intercept larger and more frequent attacks,” he said, urging a unified global response to Moscow's escalating aerial tactics.

Analysts note that such attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have severe humanitarian implications. Prolonged outages can hamper hospitals, heating systems and water supplies — vital as the country heads into colder months.

The latest barrage comes amid stalled diplomacy and an uneasy stalemate along multiple frontlines. With Ukraine warning of a harsher winter ahead and Russia increasingly relying on drone and missile strikes to maintain pressure, the war’s trajectory could hinge on whether Kyiv’s allies supply the advanced hardware needed to defend critical infrastructure.

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