By Russia launched a widespread aerial assault on Ukraine, targeting 11 regions with missiles and drones in the 33rd consecutive night of attacks, the Ukrainian air force reported Monday. The barrage set a new monthly record for drone strikes.
In Kyiv, residents endured a five-hour drone attack, with multiple explosions and machine gun fire heard throughout the night as air defenses worked to repel the assault. No casualties were reported in the capital or elsewhere, though Governor Vitalii Kim of the southern Mykolaiv region said a “critical infrastructure object” caught fire without providing further details.
“This escalation in drone warfare marks a significant shift in Russian tactics,” said a Ukrainian military analyst who requested anonymity due to security concerns. “The increased use of Shahed drones allows for sustained pressure on Ukrainian cities at a lower cost than traditional missile strikes.”
Russian forces launched over 1,300 Shahed drones at Ukraine in September alone, the highest number of drone attacks in a single month since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Ukraine has also bolstered its drone capabilities, developing new models for battlefield use and long-range strikes within Russia. Russian officials reported shooting down more than 100 Ukrainian drones on Sunday.
Amid the escalating drone war, Russian President Vladimir Putin released a video Monday marking the second anniversary of Russia’s claimed annexation of four Ukrainian territories. Putin accused the West of turning Ukraine into “a military base aimed at Russia” and asserted that businesses in the occupied areas are being “actively restored.”
The international community widely denounced the 2022 referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as illegitimate. Russia also annexed Crimea in 2014, a move not recognized by most nations.
AP
