https://arab.news/j356k
On Wednesday night, Russia launched 629 missiles and drones against dozens of targets across Ukraine, striking heavily populated cities such as Kyiv and Odesa. Video footage on social media shows one apartment building in Kyiv being hit twice in succession, killing 18 civilians, including four children.
These strikes marked the second-largest barrage since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, but with a notable shift in focus. While residential buildings have increasingly been targeted in recent months, this latest attack damaged the EU’s delegation offices, struck the British Council’s office in Kyiv and even hit the defense factory of Baykar, the Turkish manufacturer of the Bayraktar TB2 drone.
The barrage came as Ukraine increased its own campaign of strikes deep inside Russia. In recent weeks, President Volodymyr Zelensky had appeared to hold back, giving space to the diplomatic track pursued by US President Donald Trump. But after Russia’s Vladimir Putin refused to meet with him directly, Ukraine increased its operations.
What is striking is just how far Ukraine’s capabilities have come: only three years ago, the country had almost no means to hit strategic targets deep inside Russia. Today, Ukrainian forces can strike more than 1,000 km away. In the last week, Ukraine hit multiple oil refineries and distribution hubs, forcing some regions of Russia to ration fuel, while others saw petrol stations run dry. By some estimates, nearly 17 percent of Russia’s refining capacity has been knocked offline.
