Russia launches massive missile attack on Ukraine, targets energy infrastructure

Russia launched a barrage of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea against Ukraine on Sunday night, hitting cities across the country in a widespread assault. The Ukrainian Air Force issued alerts in all regions east of the Dnieper River, citing the launch of additional hypersonic Dagger missiles.

Explosions rocked major cities including Odessa, Zaporizhia, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and the Cherkasy region. Drone strikes also targeted the Cherkasy, Kyiv, and Poltava regions, officials said. In the capital, Kyiv, a missile struck a five-story residential building, igniting a fire and causing casualties. In the southern city of Mykolaiv, two women were killed, and six others were wounded. Three people were reported injured in the Kharkiv region, with casualties also recorded in Dnipro.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian forces launched approximately 120 missiles and 90 drones in the overnight assault, marking one of the largest attacks in recent months. Ukrainian air defense reportedly intercepted more than 140 targets, but the strikes inflicted severe damage on energy infrastructure in several regions, including Odessa, Volyn, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhia. Emergency power outages have been introduced across much of the country, according to Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga called the attack on energy facilities "one of the largest in the history of the current war." In a statement posted on social media platform X, he added, "This is the true response of the war criminal Putin to all those who recently visited him and sought dialogue. Peace must be achieved through strength, not persuasion."

Poland’s Operational Command reported heightened military readiness, with Polish aircraft on alert amid concerns that the strikes could spill over into border areas. Ground-based air defense systems and radar reconnaissance have been placed on high alert, officials said.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its forces targeted "critical energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine's military-industrial complex and defense production facilities." Moscow claims it only targets military objectives, while Ukrainian officials accuse Russia of deliberately striking civilian infrastructure.

Daily shelling from Russian forces has become routine, with Moscow offering no comment on civilian casualties or the widespread damage inflicted on residential areas.