Russia Attacks Ukraine with Hundreds of Drones and Missiles Ahead of Fourth Invasion Anniversary

Russian armed forces conducted a massive aerial operation targeting key nodes of critical infrastructure and urbanized areas of Ukraine. According to an official statement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the aggressor used 297 attack drones, mainly of the Shahed type, and 50 rocket missiles, including ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defense demonstrated high effectiveness, neutralizing 274 unmanned aerial vehicles and 33 missiles. Nevertheless, numerous damages were recorded in the energy and railway sectors, leading to power supply interruptions in several regions, including Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts. The attacks took place just two days before the fourth anniversary of the start of the full-scale invasion. Simultaneously in Lviv, a brutal sabotage-style attack occurred, which was not directly related to the airstrikes. Unknown perpetrators lured a police patrol into a trap by reporting a false break-in at a store. Upon the officers' arrival, two explosions of explosive devices occurred. As a result of sustained injuries, 23-year-old police officer Viktoriia Shpylka died, and approximately 25 people were wounded. Security services are conducting an intensive investigation to identify the perpetrators of this act of terror. Meanwhile, incidents were reported at the capital's air hub in Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported the downing of 10 drones heading towards the city, forcing authorities to temporarily close four major airports. Since the invasion began in February 2022, Russia has regularly employed a strategy of massive missile and drone attacks, aimed at breaking societal morale by targeting heating and energy systems during winter periods. The situation in Kyiv was particularly tense in the morning, when a series of powerful explosions shook the city. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that missile fragments damaged a residential high-rise, causing a fire on the upper floors. Among the wounded in the capital were a woman and a child. The attacks also covered Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Sumy oblasts. In the latter, at least four fatalities were recorded as a result of Russian strikes, and reports of "five killed" were not unequivocally confirmed for the same night; separately, reports mentioned a distinct attack on a Mondelēz International factory in Trostianets, where no casualties were reported. The Polish side, responding to increased activity of Russian long-range aviation, activated defensive procedures. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces scrambled Polish and allied fighter jets, resulting in the temporary closure of civilian airports in Rzeszów and Lublin. „Russia used nearly 300 drones and 50 missiles in a single night. The main target was our energy and ordinary people.” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Perspektywy mediów: Liberal media emphasize the tragic civilian dimension of the attacks and the heroism of air defense in the face of the war anniversary. Conservative media stress the need to strengthen Polish air defense and analyze Russian sabotage tactics in Lviv.