Russia carried out large-scale overnight strikes on Ukraine starting Monday evening, resulting in at least 18 deaths and dozens of injuries, according to the Ukrainian media. The Russian Defense Ministry reported on the same day that it intercepted and destroyed nearly 150 Ukrainian drones while conducting extensive strikes on Ukrainian facilities.
In its latest report on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed these drones in Belgorod, Bryansk and other regions from 20:00 Monday to 07:00 Tuesday.
According to the ministry, the Russian forces also used long-range precision weapons launched from air, land and sea, including hypersonic aeroballistic missiles, to hit Ukrainian defense industry facilities and military infrastructure in Kiev, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and other areas. They also targeted fuel and transport infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian armed forces, along with military airfields.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had launched massive attacks on multiple Ukrainian cities, resulting in 22 deaths including two children and 130 injuries. Ukrainian rescue, police, municipal, and emergency personnel are still engaged in extinguishing fires, conducting search and rescue operations, and providing medical aid to the wounded.
Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said via social media that the attacks caused casualties and damage across several regions, with the heaviest damage reported in Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday that power outages have occurred in some areas, including Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian Air Force also said that Russian forces had launched 73 missiles, including eight Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, into Ukraine. In addition, the Russian military deployed 656 drones. The Ukrainian air defense and electronic warfare units had intercepted some of the missiles and drones.
Russian armed forces are launching systematic strikes against Ukraine's military infrastructure in Kiev and other cities, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a press conference on Tuesday.
The spokesperson said Russia remains open to peace talks with Ukraine, but the conflict will continue if Ukraine continues to reject "genuine negotiations and serious decisions" aimed at achieving a peaceful settlement.
He added that negotiations on the Ukraine conflict remain on hold, although Moscow is maintaining contact with Washington through existing channels.
Ukraine accuses Russia of launching large-scale attacks; Russia claims to intercept Ukrainian drones
