Overview
- Russian forces launched a large overnight drone and missile barrage that Ukrainian authorities say killed and wounded dozens in Kyiv and Dnipro, continuing an intensified campaign of city strikes.
- Ukraine carried out long‑range drone strikes on St. Petersburg on Wednesday that Ukrainian leaders say hit the Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Kronstadt naval area and a weapons plant in Tambov.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones overnight, reporting more than 350 downed across western Russian regions including near St. Petersburg and Moscow.
- Officials on both sides reported civilian harm tied to the exchanges, with Russian regional authorities saying firefighters died in Smolensk and a bus was struck in Russian‑controlled Donetsk while Ukrainian cities suffered multiple deaths and injuries.
- Analysts say the attacks reflect a tit‑for‑tat shift toward long‑range drone and missile strikes that target energy and military infrastructure, increase political pressure around events such as SPIEF, and could intensify calls for more Western air‑defense support for Ukraine.