Key Points and Summary – Russia has unleashed its largest aerial assault of the war, launching 741 drones and missiles at Ukraine in a single night, with a major focus on the city of Lutsk, a vital Western aid hub near the Polish border.
-The massive attack, which also pummeled Kyiv, came just hours after a “disappointing” phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin.
-The timing suggests a deliberate escalation by Moscow to pressure Kyiv and its allies.
-In response, President Zelenskyy has made urgent new appeals for air defense systems, while a frustrated President Trump is now reportedly reconsidering a recent pause on arms shipments.
Ukraine Is Feeling the Pain of Russia’s Attacks
Russia has launched its largest overnight drone and missile attack since the war in Ukraine began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, with 741 projectiles fired across the country between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The attack preceded a major missile and drone assault on its capital city Kyiv overnight Wednesday and into Thursday.
In a Telegram post, the Ukrainian Air Force revealed the massive scale of the attacks, describing how a combination of attack drones, decoys, and missiles specifically targeted the northwestern Volyn region and the city of Lutsk. According to the update, Russia deployed 728 attack drones and decoys along with 13 missiles overnight.
Zelenskyy said that Russian forces aimed the projectiles at the “highest number of aerial targets in a single day” since the outbreak of the war. The attacks offer insight into Russia’s plans and expectations. Lutsk is close to the Polish border – meaning it neighbors NATO territory – and is a vital entry point for Western military aid and equipment. The city is also home to Ukrainian airbases and storage facilities that support logistics, maintenance, and supply routes for weapons and ammunition.
Meanwhile, Wednesday night’s assault on Kyiv represented yet another escalation, killing at least two people and sparking fires throughout the city.
Is Putin Making A Point?
The increasingly devastating assaults on Ukraine come as Kyiv requests additional air-defense support from the United States and Europe. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy re-issued calls for additional air-defense systems and missiles from allies, and argued that Putin’s assaults were “telling.”
“It comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all,” Zelenskyy said, suggesting Putin isn’t serious about ending the war.
The latest strikes coincided with a “frank” exchange of views between Kremlin representatives and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Kuala Lumpur on July 10. Rubio said on Thursday that he had expressed the United States’ frustration with Moscow over the lack of progress made in peace negotiations with Ukraine – disappointment that President Trump has expressed in expletive-laden statements.
On Tuesday, July 8, the president accused Vladimir Putin of throwing “bull****” at the United States. Trump also said that he was “very strongly” considering backing a proposed bill that would place unprecedented sanctions on countries that continue to do trade with Russia.
Following Rubio’s 50-minute conversation in Malaysia, the U.S. official said that it was a “frank conversation” and “an important one.” Rubio confirmed that he told Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov that more “flexibility” is required to bring the war to an end.
The Secretary of State also hinted at the possibility of the U.S. and Russia taking a new approach to the problem, stating that he and Lavrov shared ideas about “new or different” ways to settle the conflict that would be relayed to Trump upon his return.
The bombardment of Ukrainian cities right as the U.S. and Russia re-engage in diplomatic talks is not all that surprising. Soon after President Trump issued a two-week deadline to Putin in May, Ukraine’s covert drone attack against Russian airbases – dubbed Operation Spiderweb – prompted a devastating response from the Kremlin. Russian drone and missile barrages carried out overnight on Thursday, June 5, killed three emergency workers and wounded 20.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russia launched more than 400 drones and 40 missiles at Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine in what turned out to be the first in a series of escalating retaliatory strikes.
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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