Kyiv — In what Ukrainian officials described as one of the largest aerial attacks since the onset of the Russian special military operation, Russia launched a blistering overnight barrage of 324 drones, supplemented by cruise and ballistic missiles, targeting key infrastructure across Ukraine. The assault marked a grim milestone on day 1,251 of the protracted conflict, striking both military assets and civilian neighborhoods with unprecedented intensity.
The focal point of the attack was the Starokostiantyniv air base in western Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi region, a strategic site previously used by Ukraine’s air force for launching Storm Shadow missiles. While Kyiv’s air defense intercepted a majority of the drones, several broke through the shield, igniting fires and triggering power outages in surrounding towns.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, a high-rise residential building was directly hit by a drone, wounding eight civilians, including a four-year-old girl. Emergency services scrambled to douse flames and evacuate residents from the upper floors as debris littered nearby streets. The city’s military administration reported that the drone had been equipped with a delayed-explosion mechanism to inflict maximum structural damage.
The attacks came amid Russia’s continued push to establish what it calls buffer zones in Ukrainian territory bordering Russia, a strategy designed to mitigate future Ukrainian strikes on Belgorod and other Russian regions. Moscow’s recent battlefield advances in Donetsk and Sumy Oblasts, especially the capture of Kostiantynivka, reflect a tactical expansion that aims to consolidate gains before winter.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, reiterated that they would not accept any form of territorial concession, accusing Moscow of engaging in “terror bombing” designed to wear down the Ukrainian populace and force a political collapse.
Though diplomatic efforts persist in the background, the widening scale and frequency of these aerial attacks reflect a shift in Russian tactics—toward attrition by airpower, even as ground movements continue at a slower, grinding pace.
According to Al-Jazeera, the 1,251st day of the Russian special military operation was marked by intensified air raids, widening battlefronts, and a growing sense of urgency among Ukraine’s military planners as they brace for further escalation.
