Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Strike raine has reportedly carried out its most extensive drone strike on Russian territory since the war began, targeting 16 regions over the weekend. According to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, this operation involved at least 158 drones, marking Kyiv’s largest attack within Russia to date.
Russia’s defense ministry confirmed the strike, stating that 158 Ukrainian drones were intercepted across 15 regions, including Kursk, Bryansk, Voronezh, and Belgorod. Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, reported that drone debris caused a fire at an oil refinery, though no casualties were recorded.
This drone offensive represents a significant escalation in the conflict, as Ukrainian forces launched a massive assault on Russian targets. The regions hit by drones included key areas of ongoing military activity, such as Kursk, and several others like Ryazan, Kaluga, and Smolensk.
The escalation in Ukraine’s drone strikes comes after a series of intensified Russian attacks on Kyiv. On August 26th, Russia launched one of its largest missile and drone barrages on Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of at least five people and causing severe damage to the country’s energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian strikes, accusing them of targeting critical civilian infrastructure. He emphasized that restoration efforts were already underway in the affected areas. In response to these attacks, NATO and Ukraine convened a council meeting on August 28th, where members pledged to increase military aid to support Ukraine.
In a statement on social media platform X, President Zelensky justified Ukraine’s retaliatory drone strikes, asserting that the country has the right to defend itself by any means necessary to stop Russian aggression. He noted that in the past week alone, Russia had launched over 160 missiles, 780 guided aerial bombs, and 400 strike UAVs against Ukraine.
This exchange underscores the ongoing escalation and the increasingly critical role of drone warfare in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
