Russia Unleashes Largest 48-Hour Air Assault of War on Ukraine

Overview

• Ukraine said Russia fired more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles from Wednesday into Thursday, leaving at least 21 people dead and many more injured.
• The Air Force reported downing 652 attack drones and 41 missiles, yet a strike collapsed a Kyiv apartment block as crews searched the rubble for victims.
• Officials reported hits on power plants, port facilities in Odesa, rail lines, and other civilian sites, cutting electricity in 11 regions and damaging about 180 locations, including over 50 homes.
• Poland mobilized fighter jets as a precaution, while Hungary summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest strikes that affected areas with ethnic-Hungarian communities in western Ukraine.
• Ukrainian and Western officials described a tactical turn toward mass daytime use of Shahed-type drones meant to overwhelm radars and missile batteries, undercutting recent ceasefire hopes and spurring new calls for air-defense aid.