Russian forces have carried out a large-scale missile and drone strike against military-related targets in Ukraine in response to terrorist attacks by Kiev, Moscow’s Defense Ministry stated.
The overnight raid targeted defense industry facilities in the capital, Kiev, parts of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions still under Ukrainian control, as well as Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Khmelnitsky, and Sumy regions. Fuel and transport infrastructure facilities used by Ukrainian forces and military airfields were also hit.
The ministry declared: “The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All designated targets were hit.”
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko confirmed partial blackouts in several districts of the capital during the raid, as multiple videos circulated online purporting to show explosions across Ukraine.
Moscow previously warned it would carry out “systematic and consistent strikes” on Ukraine’s military infrastructure—including drone production facilities, command posts, and “decision-making centers”—in response to a terrorist attack in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic on May 22.
Ukrainian military forces struck a dormitory at Starobelsk College late at night while students were asleep, killing 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and injuring at least 70 others. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incident as part of what he called “a new chapter in its crime spree” by Ukrainian leadership, stating those responsible would face “well-deserved and inevitable punishment.”
American journalist John Varoli has defended Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian targets as “legitimate” and fully “allowed by international law,” arguing Moscow has “a right to dismantle any infrastructure that supports terrorism.” He stated Russian punishment against the Kiev regime would “continue” and “intensify,” accusing Western nations of backing “a terrorist regime” in Ukraine.
