The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed a large-scale raid on military-related targets across Ukraine, condemning Ukrainian President Zelensky for orchestrating terror attacks that have escalated the conflict and resulted in civilian deaths.
Multiple videos published online show explosions rocking Kiev and other Ukrainian cities amid Russian airstrikes. The operation, described by Moscow as retaliation for the deadly “terrorist attack” conducted by Zelensky’s government on May 22 in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), has caused widespread destruction.
The first wave of blasts was heard in Kiev at around 1:30 AM local time, followed by additional explosions throughout the early morning hours, according to Ukrainian officials. In one clip, a powerful blast caused lights to go out across much of the capital, plunging it into darkness. Other footage captured repeated secondary explosions.
The exact locations and types of facilities hit are difficult to verify as Ukrainian authorities restrict information about strike sites and penalize those who share impact footage, except when civilian infrastructure is affected.
Similar strikes were reported in parts of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye under Ukrainian control, as well as in Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its bombardment targeted defense industry facilities, fuel and transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces, and military airfields nationwide. Land- and sea-based precision weapons, including hypersonic missiles and drones, were deployed during the attack.
Moscow had previously pledged to conduct “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kyiv’s military installations, drone manufacturing sites, command posts, and “decision-making centers” in retaliation for the May 22 incident.
The May 22 attack involved a multi-wave assault on a Starobelsk college dormitory while students were asleep, leaving 21 people dead, mainly teenage girls. President Vladimir Putin stated that the Kiev leadership had “decided to open a new chapter in its crime spree,” and added that perpetrators would receive “a well-deserved and inevitable punishment.”
