Kyiv: Ukraine faced an intense barrage of missile and drone strikes from Russian forces overnight, according to a statement by President Volodymyr Zelensky on his official X account. The unprecedented assault involved 40 missiles, including cruise and ballistic types, and approximately 580 drones targeting multiple regions across the country.

Zelensky thanked Ukraine’s military personnel for their steadfast defence during the relentless attack, highlighting the critical role of F-16 pilots in countering the cruise missile threat. “Our F-16 pilots once again proved their prowess today and effectively countered the cruise missile threat against Ukraine,” he noted.

The targeted locations included key urban centres and regions such as Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv. The Russian strikes primarily focused on civilian infrastructure, residential neighbourhoods, and business enterprises. In one particularly devastating blow in Dnipro, a missile equipped with cluster munitions struck an apartment building directly.

As of the latest reports, dozens of people have sustained injuries from the shelling, and sadly, three civilians lost their lives. Zelensky extended his “condolences to their families and loved ones,” underscoring the human toll of the ongoing conflict.