Russia launched a large-scale daytime assault on Wednesday, utilizing over 800 drones to target approximately 20 regions across Ukraine. The barrage reached as far as western and southwestern regions bordering NATO members. At least six people were killed and dozens more wounded in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as one of the longest attacks of the war. This operation marks a shift in Moscow's tactics, as the military switched from nighttime strikes to daytime assaults between March and April.
On Thursday, May 14, the capital city of Kyiv came under a massive attack involving drones and ballistic missiles. Officials reported that debris from falling drones struck buildings in various districts, including residential areas, injuring at least four people. Other northern and central regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Poltava, were also targeted. President Zelensky warned that the Kremlin is attempting to overload Ukrainian defenses.
These strikes occurred as Kyiv and Moscow traded long-range attacks following a brief ceasefire, and amidst assertions from Donald Trump that the war could soon end. President Zelensky accused Russia of timing the Wednesday attack to coincide with Donald Trump's visit to China. Simultaneously, Moscow reported that it intercepted and destroyed 286 Ukrainian drones overnight.