Key Points and Summary – Russia unleashed one of the war’s most intense air assaults on Ukraine overnight Monday, June 23rd, killing at least 10 people and injuring scores more in a “massive” barrage of over 350 drones and missiles.
-Kyiv bore the brunt of the five-hour attack, which saw a nine-story apartment block collapse and the historic Saint Sophia Cathedral damaged. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as “pure terrorism” and an attempt to “drown out” peace efforts.
-The attack is seen as continued retaliation for Ukraine’s recent bomber base strikes and comes as global attention is diverted to the Middle East conflict.
Russia Launches ‘Massive’ Assault on Ukraine Amid Iran Conflict
At least 10 people have been killed and scores more injured after Russian forces unleashed another “massive” drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and its surrounding areas early Monday. The overnight bombardment—Russia’s second large-scale assault on the city in just a week—comes as global diplomatic and media attention is increasingly fixated on the deepening Israel-Iran conflict.
Massive Overnight Assault
Russia reportedly fired 352 drones and decoys, alongside 11 ballistic and five cruise missiles, some of which targeted residential areas. Hospitals, public transport and housing sustained damage.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko slammed the strikes as a case of Moscow’s “deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure.”
Officials said 10 more were injured in the capital, with further strikes in nearby Bila Tserkva and the Chernihiv region killing three and wounding over a dozen others.
The devastating attack follows last week’s deadly bombardment in which 28 civilians were killed and over 150 wounded. Kyiv’s military chief, Tymur Tkachenko, called the latest assault “another wave of terror,” warning residents of potential further drone attacks.
Despite Russian military claims that the attacks targeted “military-industrial complex enterprises,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using North Korean missiles and aligning with Iran and North Korea in what he called a “coalition of murderers.”
He warned that their growing military cooperation threatens to spread the “terror” beyond Ukraine’s own borders.
Zelenskyy Threatens Moscow
Zelenskyy’s bold comments arrived at a time when global observers have now moved back toward tensions in the Middle East following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets. Ukraine analysts fear this could further widen the strategic gap between Washington and Kyiv. This week Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, said he would push on with further strikes into Russian territory, complaining that a merely defensive posture has solely resulted in “further retreat and losses.”
Could this escalate the war yet further? Or push Moscow toward the negotiating table?
While both Moscow and Kyiv say they have not targeted civilians, although more than 10,000 Ukrainian non-combatants have been reported killed since the war broke out in February 2022.
As this war grinds on with no clear diplomatic resolution in sight, Monday’s attack is a chilling reminder that for the people of Kyiv, the frontline is once again overhead—and the attention of the world’s media and defense architecture attention may increasingly be focused elsewhere.
About the Author:
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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