Moscow stepped up aerial assaults against Ukraine’s capital city on Wednesday night as Trump’s war of words with the Kremlin continues to escalate. Russian missiles and drones hit Kyiv overnight Wednesday, authorities confirmed on Thursday morning. The strikes killed more than a dozen people, including a six-year-old child, and wounded 132.
More Missiles and Drones Hit Ukraine Hard
Ukraine’s Emergency Service confirmed that 14 children were among the wounded, including a five-month-old infant. The attacks caused the largest number of child injuries in any attack on Kyiv since the war began in 2022.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that 309 Iranian Shahed and decoy drones were launched by Russian forces, alongside eight Iskander-K cruise missiles. Almost 300 strike drones were jammed or intercepted by Ukrainian air defense systems, along with three missiles – but five missiles and 21 drones ultimately reached their target.
The severity and scale of Russian strikes against major urban population centers throughout Ukraine has gradually increased as drones have become cheaper and easier to manufacture.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia’s growing drone production capacity could mean attacks like this become even more frequent and deadly, with researchers suggesting that Russia could begin launching as many as 2,000 drones per day by November.
“German and Ukrainian officials assessed that Russia continues to expand its production of Shahed-type drones in order to launch even larger long-range drone strike packages that include up to 2,000 drones in a single night. Russian forces may be able to strike Ukraine with up to 2,000 drones in a single night by November 2025 should the current pattern of growth in nightly Russian drone usage continue,” an ISW assessment explained on July 20.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strikes in an update on Thursday, and stepped up rhetoric against Russia in response. The Ukrainian president called for “regime change” in Russia – a comment that might have once angered President Trump, but which may resonate now that Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, issued warnings to Trump on social media.
The U.S. president responded to Medvedev’s comments this week, slamming him as a “failed” former president of Russia and warning him to “watch his words.”
Zelenskyy described the overnight attacks as Moscow’s “response” to Ukraine’s call for peace in the region.“That is why peace without strength is impossible,” Zelenskyy said. “But forcing Moscow to make peace, compelling them to come to a real negotiating table – all the tools needed for this are in the hands of our partners.”
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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