The Russia-Ukraine war intensified after Ukraine launched a large-scale drone assault across Russia, killing six people. Moscow responded with missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities, leaving five civilians dead.
Ukraine Launches One of Its Largest Drone Assaults on Russia
The Russia-Ukraine war has entered another intense phase, with both sides carrying out major attacks across each other’s territory.
Ukraine launched a large-scale drone offensive against Russia on Sunday, sending hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles toward targets in several parts of the country. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones during the overnight attacks.
The assault was described as one of Ukraine’s largest aerial attacks against Russia. The strikes caused deaths and damage in several locations, while Moscow was also placed under pressure as a large number of drones headed toward the capital.
Russian authorities said the attacks killed six people.
The escalation came as the war, which has continued for nearly four and a half years, showed no sign of easing, with both Moscow and Kyiv continuing to launch retaliatory strikes.
Hundreds of Drones Head Toward Moscow
According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, nearly 600 drones were heading toward the Russian capital during the attack.
About one-third of those drones were reportedly destroyed in the Moscow region itself, Sobyanin said.
The scale of the assault affected several areas beyond the capital. In the Rostov region of southwestern Russia, more than 150 drones targeted three towns, according to regional Governor Yuri Slyusar.
Five people were killed in the Rostov region, while homes and a railway station were damaged. Fires also broke out in a forest following the attacks.
In the Moscow region, a separate drone struck a private house, killing an 83-year-old man.
The casualties added to the destruction reported across the areas targeted during the Ukrainian offensive.
Wildberries Warehouse Among Targets
Ukraine has intensified its attacks this year, targeting not only military and energy facilities but also major economic infrastructure in Russia.
Among the sites hit were warehouses belonging to Wildberries, a major Russian online retail company.
An attack in the town of Podolsk reportedly destroyed goods worth billions of dollars, with large quantities of merchandise reduced to ashes.
The strikes demonstrate the widening range of targets involved in the latest phase of the conflict, according to the details reported in the source.
While military and energy facilities have remained among the targets of Ukrainian attacks, commercial infrastructure has also been affected.
Moscow Responds With Missile Strikes
Russia responded to the Ukrainian drone offensive with missile attacks against several locations in Ukraine.
The Russian retaliation killed five civilians, according to Ukrainian officials.
In Kryvyi Rih, a Russian missile strike killed two people and injured 14 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Another person was killed in Sumy. In Zaporizhzhia, a house was destroyed, resulting in the deaths of a man and a woman.
The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was also targeted. Fires broke out during the attacks, and six people were injured.
The latest Russian strikes followed the extensive Ukrainian drone operation against targets inside Russia, underlining the continuing pattern of attacks and counterattacks between the two countries.
Russia Says Military-Industrial Sites Were Targeted
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its strikes were directed at military-industrial facilities in Ukraine.
Among the locations identified were a metallurgical plant in Kryvyi Rih and a Flamingo missile production facility in Kyiv.
Ukraine has been using domestically produced Flamingo missiles for long-range attacks against Russia.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine had used these weapons in an attack on a Russian rocket research facility in Samara, located about 900 kilometres from Ukraine’s border.
The claims surrounding the weapons and their use form part of the broader escalation in long-range attacks carried out by both sides during the war.
Spanish F-18 Shoots Down Drone Over Romania
The conflict also spilled into the airspace of a neighbouring NATO country on Sunday.
A drone that entered Romanian airspace was shot down by an F-18 fighter jet belonging to the Spanish Air Force, according to the report.
Radar systems detected the drone north of the eastern Romanian city of Galați, near the border with Moldova, during the morning.
Romanian authorities did not identify the country to which the drone belonged.
The incident added another dimension to the wider security concerns surrounding the ongoing fighting between Russia and Ukraine, although the nationality of the drone remained undisclosed.
Kyiv Remains a Major Target
The latest Ukrainian offensive against Russia also follows a devastating Russian attack on Kyiv last month.
At that time, Russia launched a major assault on the Ukrainian capital using ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
The attacks continued for hours, with explosions shaking the city. Several residential buildings were destroyed, while eight people were killed and dozens more were injured.
Amid the strikes, residents sought shelter in bunkers and metro stations as the city came under sustained attack.
The mayor of Kyiv described that assault as the most brutal attack carried out by the enemy.
Conflict Continues to Escalate
The latest exchange of attacks marks another sharp escalation in the nearly four-and-a-half-year Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine’s extensive drone assault resulted in six deaths in Russia and caused damage to homes, a railway station, a forest and commercial infrastructure. Russia then responded with missile strikes across several Ukrainian locations, killing five civilians and injuring others.
The attacks also extended beyond the immediate battlefront, with a drone entering Romanian airspace and subsequently being destroyed by a Spanish F-18 fighter.
The latest developments underscore the continuing intensity of the conflict, as both sides rely increasingly on long-range drones and missiles to strike targets far from the front lines.
With Ukraine having stepped up its drone operations inside Russia and Moscow responding with missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and military-industrial facilities, the latest cycle of strikes has brought renewed destruction and civilian casualties on both sides.
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