Russia has unleashed a massive barrage of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine, claiming retaliation for recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian civilian infrastructure. The escalation, confirmed by the Kremlin and marked by the largest drone assault since the war began, has once again thrown Europe into a state of high alert as the war grinds into its third year.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking at a news briefing on Monday, said that President Vladimir Putin had ordered the strikes in response to attacks from Kyiv that had targeted Russian territory and civilians.
“President Putin is taking the decisions that are necessary to ensure the security of our country,” Peskov stated. “These strikes are not aggression; they are a response to aggression.”
According to Moscow, the targets of its attacks were Ukrainian military facilities, command centers, and infrastructure critical to the Ukrainian armed forces’ ongoing counter-offensives. However, reports from inside Ukraine suggest that civilian areas were also hit, raising further concerns about violations of international humanitarian law.
The strikes came as part of what Ukrainian officials are calling a campaign of “terror,” with Kyiv describing the attacks as indiscriminate and aimed at sowing fear among civilians.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 355 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, including decoys, as well as nine cruise missiles. It marked the single largest drone strike since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for Ukraine’s air force, confirmed to AFP that the attack represented a new record in terms of the number of drones deployed in a single operation.
In a statement released on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks and accused Russia of acting out of “a sense of total impunity.”
“Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale,” Zelensky wrote. “The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions.”
The scale and scope of the attacks were enormous. Ukrainian officials reported that air alerts lasted more than six hours in Kyiv, forcing residents into shelters in the middle of the night.
In the northeastern Sumy region, which has been repeatedly targeted in recent months, one civilian man was reported killed by Russian shelling. The western Khmelnytsky region saw damage to at least 18 residential buildings due to drone impacts. In the southern Odesa region, local officials said a 14-year-old boy was wounded.
Though Ukrainian air defenses reportedly intercepted a majority of the drones and missiles, the debris from intercepted drones caused damage in multiple areas. Fires were reported in several regions, and emergency services were deployed throughout the night.
In a rare direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, former U.S. President Donald Trump called the Russian leader “absolutely crazy” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote.
“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right. But if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” he added.
The comments mark a sharp deviation from Trump’s previous tone on Russia, which had often been criticized as overly conciliatory. Analysts suggest that the mounting civilian toll and intensification of Russian military actions may have forced even Trump to distance himself from the Kremlin.
In a related development that illustrates the far-reaching dimensions of the war—including information warfare—French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo announced that it had filed a legal complaint over a series of fake covers circulating online that falsely appeared to represent the publication.
The covers, which mimic Charlie Hebdo’s distinct artistic style, feature mockery of President Zelensky and appear to promote pro-Russian messaging. Some even carry forged signatures of the magazine’s cartoonists and are primarily distributed in Russian-language Telegram channels and other social media platforms.
“There is an almost industrial approach that is accelerating, with numerous front pages of very high quality,” said Richard Malka, the magazine’s lawyer. “It would be easy to be misled if one were not familiar with the newspaper’s editorial line.”
The editorial team claims that at least 15 fake front pages have been produced over the past two years, with clear intent to deceive Russian audiences into thinking Charlie Hebdo supports Putin and mocks Zelensky.
France, which has been among Ukraine’s staunchest backers, has seen a surge in disinformation campaigns traced to Russian sources. A March report by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou identified France as one of the European countries most targeted by Russian propaganda, second only to Ukraine.
This latest surge in hostilities is expected to further strain already tense relations between Russia and the West. European leaders have called for increased military and economic support for Ukraine, while NATO has convened emergency sessions to assess potential escalation scenarios.
“There must be consequences for this indiscriminate violence,” said EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell. “We will not allow Russia to wage war without accountability.”
At the same time, Washington remains divided. The Biden administration has pledged continued support for Ukraine, but Trump’s re-emergence into the political spotlight—and his warning of a “downfall of Russia”—could complicate U.S. messaging and unity on the issue.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are calling on allies not just for additional weapons and air defenses, but also for a new round of sanctions targeting Russian banks, energy exports, and state media organizations accused of promoting propaganda.
As the war stretches into its third year, the conflict has entered a phase of attrition and unpredictability. Both sides appear committed to grinding down the other, with neither showing serious signs of backing down. Civilians continue to bear the brunt, with infrastructure damaged, lives lost, and cities turned into war zones.
Zelensky has vowed that Ukraine will resist to the last, and Putin appears equally resolved, framing the war as existential for Russia. The international community remains deeply divided over how to bring the war to an end.
With no diplomatic breakthrough in sight, the latest strikes—and the rhetoric accompanying them—underscore the dangerous and volatile nature of a war that continues to reshape global politics and deepen East-West divisions.
As one Kyiv resident put it during the air raid: “We don’t sleep anymore. We listen. We wait. And we hope it ends before we do.”
