By Gloria Nosa
In what is now being described as the most intense drone assault since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia launched a record-breaking 479 drones at multiple targets across Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian military officials confirmed Monday morning.
The attack, which stretched over several hours, targeted critical infrastructure, urban centers, and military positions, primarily in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and parts of central Ukraine. Air raid sirens blared through the night as air defense systems worked overtime to intercept the incoming barrage. Though Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down a majority of the drones, defense authorities reported that some breached defenses, causing fires, power outages, and at least a dozen casualties, including civilians.
“This was a night unlike any other,” said General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s top commander. “We have never experienced a drone attack of this magnitude. It is clear that Russia is escalating its aerial war tactics in a desperate attempt to break Ukrainian resistance.”
The drones, identified as Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones, were launched in waves — a tactic that analysts say was designed to exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses by overwhelming radar systems and missile supplies. The Ministry of Defense in Kyiv stated that this level of aerial aggression signals a dangerous new phase of the conflict, with Moscow leaning more heavily on cheap, mass-produced UAVs to inflict maximum damage with minimal risk to Russian personnel.
Russian officials have not issued an official statement confirming the number of drones deployed, but Kremlin-aligned military bloggers celebrated the operation online, calling it a demonstration of Russia’s “unmatched drone capability.”
International reaction has been swift. The United Nations condemned the attack, while leaders from NATO, the EU, and the United States renewed calls for urgent military aid to bolster Ukraine’s air defense systems. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a press briefing, referred to the attack as “an outrageous escalation” and reaffirmed that the U.S. would “accelerate delivery of critical defense support, including anti-drone technology.”
This latest onslaught follows weeks of intensified Russian aerial activity, as both sides brace for a grinding summer campaign. Military analysts suggest the record drone strike may be a strategic move to soften Ukraine’s defenses ahead of a broader offensive — or a psychological tactic meant to spread fear and exhaustion among civilians and defenders alike.
As daylight returned to smoldering cities and emergency services rushed to contain the damage, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Ukraine’s air defense teams for their heroic efforts under extreme pressure. “We will not be broken,” he said in a national address. “Even as they try to darken our skies, our resolve shines brighter.”
The record-setting drone attack underscores the growing centrality of unmanned warfare in 21st-century conflicts — and highlights the urgent need for both sides to adapt to a rapidly evolving battlefield.
