Russia Keeps Hititng Kyiv with Drones In New Assault
Key Points and Summary
-Russia has launched another major aerial assault across Ukraine, firing over 500 drones and dozens of missiles at nine different regions, including Kyiv.
-The attacks come amid stalled peace talks and a high-profile military parade in Beijing, where Vladimir Putin met with China’s Xi Jinping and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
-The gathering, which President Trump labeled a “conspiracy,” saw North Korea pledge further support for Russia’s war.
-As diplomacy falters and Russia continues its “demonstrative strikes,” Ukraine is retaliating with its own successful drone attacks deep inside Russian territory.
Russian Barrage Strikes Kyiv, Other Parts of Ukraine
Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine overnight, with Reuters reporting that Russia launched 500 drones and dozens of missiles throughout Ukraine, including Kyiv.
Explosions were heard in nine of Ukraine’s 24 regions, Reuters reported, although Ukraine’s Air Force claimed that it downed 430 of 502 drones and 21 of 24 missiles. At the same time, the remaining armaments struck 14 different locations throughout the country.
“These are clearly demonstrative Russian strikes. It is only due to the lack of sufficient pressure, primarily on Russia’s war economy, that this aggression continues,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram after the attacks.
Euromaidan Press reported that the attacks led to a 13-hour air raid alert in Kyiv. The report also said that the strikes also reached the western city of Lutsk, which is considered “relatively safe territory.”
Kyiv Post reported that Poland had scrambled planes during the overnight attack, as a precaution.
Ukraine Strikes Back
Meanwhile, per another Euromaidan Press report, Ukraine successfully struck a train station in Rostov Oblast, deep in Russia, leading to the delays of 26 passenger trains. Russia confirmed the damage on Telegram.
Russia also claimed that it intercepted 105 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The Next Step in Talks on Ukraine War
The continuing strikes take place against the background of uncertainty over talks to bring an end to the war. Zelenskyy, per Reuters, will “press for stronger pressure on Moscow” when he meets on Wednesday and Friday with allies from Denmark and France.
According to a Telegram post from Russian state media, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this week that to achieve peace, “it is necessary to recognize at the international level the incorporation of Crimea, Donbass and Novorossiya into Russia.”
In an X post, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has called that position “a new set of old ultimatums.”
“Russia has not changed its aggressive goals and shows no signs of readiness for meaningful negotiations,” Sybiha added. “To the contrary, their ultimatums get more insane.”
The View from China
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in China to appear at Xi Jinping’s military parade, along with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who made a rare trip outside of North Korea.
Per Sky News, Putin and Kim met in Beijing, and Kim stated that North Korea had a “fraternal duty” to help Russia in the war.
“If there’s anything I can do for you and the people of Russia, if there is more that needs to be done, I will consider it as a fraternal duty, an obligation that we surely need to bear, and will be prepared to do everything possible to help,” the North Korean leader said, according to the report.
Trump on the “Conspiracy”
President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, reacted to the three leaders gathering in Beijing this week. First, he invoked “the massive amount of support and ‘blood'” the US gave to China, presumably in reference to World War II.
The 80th anniversary of the end of that war was the purported reason for the celebration in Beijing. In World War II, the US was allied with China against Japan.
Trump also asked President Xi to “please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Putin and Kim are leaders about whom Trump has had warm things to say in the past.
Kremlin adviser Yury Ushakov reacted to Trump’s post, as reported by Sky News.
“Let’s hope that it was meant in some figurative sense, that it was not in the literal sense, especially since no one is making any conspiracies,” Ushakov said this week.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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