World

Russia escalates aerial assault on Ukraine with mass drone barrage and missile strikes

A renewed wave of attacks targeting cities and critical infrastructure underscores the continuing intensity of the conflict, as civilian areas and port facilities come under sustained pressure

Updated 6 months ago · Published on 15 Apr 2026 2:52PM

Russia escalates aerial assault on Ukraine with mass drone barrage and missile strikes
Moscow fired 324 drones and three ballistic missiles between Tuesday evening and early Wednesday, Ukraine’s Air Force says (Photo from Reuters) - April 15, 2026

RUSSIA launched a large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine, deploying hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles in a coordinated attack that struck multiple regions, damaged infrastructure and left civilians dead and injured.

According to Ukraine’s air force, Moscow fired 324 drones and three ballistic missiles between Tuesday evening and early Wednesday.

Reuters, on Wednesday, reported that air defence systems intercepted or neutralised the vast majority of drones, but several projectiles penetrated defences, with missiles and 13 drones hitting targets across nine locations.

The strikes form part of an intensifying campaign that has increasingly targeted both urban centres and strategic assets, including port infrastructure in the south.

In the southeastern city of Dnipro, regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha said three people were injured in a drone attack that also damaged residential and administrative buildings.

Images shared by officials showed a multi-storey apartment block with a large section torn into its structure.

The latest assault followed a missile strike on the same city a day earlier that killed five people and injured nearly 30, highlighting the sustained nature of attacks on civilian areas.

Further casualties were reported elsewhere.

In Cherkasy, four people sought medical treatment after a separate drone strike, while in Zaporizhzhia, a 74-year-old woman was killed during shelling that also damaged nearby commercial premises and residential buildings.

In the south, port infrastructure in the Odesa region was again targeted, with authorities reporting damage to warehouses and administrative facilities, raising fresh concerns over the security of vital export routes along the Black Sea.

Officials in the Kyiv region also confirmed further drone activity, signalling the breadth of the assault across multiple fronts.

The continued targeting of civilian areas and economic infrastructure reflects a broader pattern in the conflict, with analysts warning that such attacks risk deepening humanitarian pressures while further disrupting Ukraine’s economic lifelines. - April 15, 2026

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