Russia fires over 500 drones at Ukraine in 90 minutes, kills 9

The war between Russia and Ukraine has entered its fourth year with no sign of ending, and Russia has instead escalated its aggression. The Russian military launched a massive simultaneous aerial assault on several major areas of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian officials, more than 500 drones were fired at different Ukrainian cities within just 90 minutes. At least 9 civilians were killed on the spot in the attack, while more than 12 people were seriously injured. Several residential buildings, shops and the country's infrastructure were badly damaged in the strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed anger over the attack on social media. He said Russia had fired more than 500 Shahed and other combat drones at Ukraine in a single day. Zelensky said that having failed to achieve direct success on the battlefield, Russian forces were now targeting civilian settlements and Ukraine's economy. According to him, Russia's intent is to destroy the economic sites and facilities that Ukrainians are relying on to survive this phase of the war.

The city council of Kramatorsk said Russian forces had directly targeted civilians instead of military sites. Within a gap of just 90 minutes, drone strikes hit civilian vehicles at three different locations in the city. Vehicles moving on the road and parked outside shops were targeted, killing 3 people and seriously injuring 4. The local administration expressed anger, saying Russia was now directly attacking the vehicles of innocent people out on everyday errands, away from the battlefield.

Meanwhile, in the city of Zviahel in the Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone directly struck a crowded grocery store. The blast killed 2 people who were inside the store at the time. In addition, two nearby petrol stations and a commercial building housing foreign investment were badly damaged when drones struck them.

According to Ivan Fedorov, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, the drone attack in his region killed 2 civilians and left 11 seriously injured. President Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih was also targeted overnight, with a combined missile and drone strike that killed 2 people.

The key Black Sea port city of Odesa also came under continuous attack from Saturday night. According to Odesa governor Oleh Kiper, the strikes completely destroyed the upper floors of residential high-rise buildings and left around 40 people injured, who were rushed to local hospitals.

Russian forces reportedly said 3 people were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Russian-controlled eastern Donetsk region. The fallout of the war is now reaching neighbouring countries as well. After the threat from Russian drones near the Ukrainian border increased, Moldova shut down its entire airspace and 7 key border checkpoints for about an hour as a security measure. Overall, Russia's attack involving 500 drones has left the situation in Ukraine deeply worrying, drawing sharp international condemnation.