Vladimir Putin has suffered a huge setback after Ukrainian forces successfully intercepted a large-scale Russian air assault targeting multiple cities early this morning.
The surprise attack involved several missiles and nearly 50 drones, aimed at various regions, including the capital Kyiv and the western oblast of Khmelnytskyi.
Ukraine's military reported a highly effective defense, downing all five missiles and 48 out of 53 drones, achieving a 91 percent interception rate.
However, despite the strong defensive effort, some strikes did cause some damage.
In Kyiv, missiles and drones triggered a fire at an industrial facility, as confirmed by the region's governor. Emergency services responded swiftly, and no casualties were reported.
In the Kharkiv region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that drone strikes shattered windows in several residential buildings and caused damage to shops, a post office, and other local infrastructure.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian defenses shot down 11 drones in Khmelnytskyi, three over Dnipropetrovsk, and one in Kirovohrad.
Additionally, seven drones were intercepted over the southern Odesa region, while three were downed in Kherson and two in Mykolaiv, according to regional governors.
Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk announced on national television that no energy infrastructure was damaged in the attack, despite it being a frequent target in past Russian offensives.
According to the Kyiv Independent, 12 Ukrainian regions, including Sumy, Luhansk, Chernihiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, were targeted in the assault.
It comes as Russia accused Ukraine and the United States of attacking civilians on Russian territory. The Russian Foreign Ministry alleged that Ukraine used US-supplied HIMARS rockets to shell civilian areas in Russia's Belgorod region, claiming the lives of women and children.
At a news conference in St. Petersburg, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that rocket fragments would serve as evidence, accusing Washington of complicity in the attacks.
She claimed that statements from Washington effectively amounted to “a confession…for the murder of children and women in the Belgorod region.”