Russia has launched powerful attacks against Ukraine with a record number of drones. These are the most intense attacks Russia has launched against Ukraine since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, coming shortly after former US President Donald Trump heavily criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and pledged to provide more weapons to Ukraine. To carry out these attacks on Ukraine, Russia used 728 drones and 13 missiles. This marks the first time Russia has used such a large number of drones in a single attack. The attacks primarily targeted Lutsk, located near the border between Ukraine and Poland, a member state of the Western defense alliance, NATO. NATO considers an attack on the border of a member state as an attack on the alliance itself.
In Russia’s attack, Lutsk was targeted with 50 drones and 5 missiles. The attack caused extensive damage to buildings in Lutsk, marking the most severe attack on Lutsk to date. Following the attack, Poland and other NATO member countries dispatched military jets to defend the area. No fatalities have been reported in this specific attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in addition to Lutsk, attacks also targeted ten other provinces in Ukraine. One person was killed in Western Ukraine due to the attack. Additionally, eight people were killed near the front lines where Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in combat, due to drone and bomb attacks.
Zelenskyy stated that Russia’s attack underscores the importance of taking strong measures against Russia that would impact its economy and revenue. He also stated that measures should be taken against countries that purchase Russian oil. Last Tuesday, Trump had indicated that he was considering supporting a bill proposing sanctions against Russia. The bill suggests imposing a 500 percent tariff on countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other commodities.
The US decision to increase military aid to Ukraine contradicts a decision made by the Pentagon a while ago. At a time when Russia was launching powerful attacks on Ukraine, the Pentagon had then decided to suspend the delivery of certain weapons to the country.
