Russia launched a deadly wave of ballistic missiles and drones across Ukraine on Thursday, targeting military factories and cities including Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk. The overnight strikes killed at least eight people, including children, and wounded more than 50 others. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that a family of five was killed in their home during the assaults.
The offensive extended to the Black Sea, where Russian forces struck three cargo ships, including one vessel near Odesa. Additionally, an unidentified object believed to be a missile entered Polish airspace during strikes on western Ukraine before disappearing from radar. While Russian missiles have briefly entered Polish territory in the past, no hits have occurred within Poland.
President Zelensky had previously warned that a massive attack was likely and stated that Russia had been planning the operation for several days. He attributed the resulting destruction to untimely assistance and delays in the delivery of Western-supplied anti-ballistic missile defenses, which Russia appears to be exploiting through increasingly frequent mass airstrikes against Ukrainian cities.
In response, Ukraine targeted Russia's energy infrastructure by striking several oil refineries. This included an attack on one of Russia's largest refineries, which threatens to disrupt fuel supplies as strikes on the country's energy infrastructure resume.