In a second straight night of aerial bombardment, Russia launched several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting multiple Ukrainian regions, killing at least four people. Ukrainian air defense reported successfully downing at least five Russian missiles and 60 attack drones after Moscow launched a total of 91 projectiles, including about 10 missiles and 81 Iranian-designed attack drones. This follows Russia’s earlier attack on Ukraine with more than 200 missiles and drones on Monday, which killed seven people and struck energy facilities nationwide.
The Ukrainian Air Force described the attack as a massive show of force, in which 15 regions sustained damage. According to the Air Force, they managed to shoot down at least 102 of the 127 Russian missiles and 99 of the 109 drones. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its forces used high-precision weapons to strike critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russians managed to launch the offensive from several locations, including the Kursk region, the Belgorod border region, the Black Sea, and the Crimean Peninsula. He further emphasized that these attacks highlighted the need for long-range capabilities, stating that each of these strikes repeatedly brings them back to the task of providing their defense forces with enough long-range weapons to destroy terrorists exactly in the areas of their strikes.
The White House has denounced the Russian assault on Ukraine’s power grid and its efforts to plunge the Ukrainian people into darkness as winter approaches. The United States has pledged to continue its support for Kyiv, but in response to Zelensky’s appeal for permission to use US weapons against Russian targets, the White House has maintained that its weapons policy remains unchanged. The National Security Council spokesperson confirmed that Russia used over 100 Iranian drones to target more than two dozen Ukrainian critical energy sites, resulting in civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, Ukraine announced that it has developed a new long-range weapon to strike deep into Russia—a homegrown combination of missiles and drones called the Pantenia. According to Ukrainian officials, Pantenia was created to counter the wave of Russian bombings, as Ukraine’s Western allies have placed conditions on the use of their long-range missiles against Russia. On the other hand, Russian officials reported that four people were injured in Ukrainian drone attacks in the central region of Saratov. A video published by the Russian Telegram channel “Mash” shows a drone crashing into a skyscraper, while another one hit a residential building in the city of Engels, home to a military airfield that was previously targeted. Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that a total of 22 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight and in the morning across eight Russian regions.
Furthermore, satellite images taken on Monday showed damage to two bridges in the Kursk region following a Ukrainian incursion. Russian investigators reported that the bridges over the same river were damaged by American HIMARS, limiting the supply capacity of Russian defenders opposing the Ukrainian advance. Meanwhile, Poland reported that a drone likely entered its airspace early on Monday morning during a Russian bombardment of Ukraine, adding that the object may have landed on Polish territory and that searches are underway.
