Russia launches massive overnight drone and missile attack on Ukraine

New Delhi, Dec 23" Russia carried out a “massive” overnight air assault on Ukraine, launching more than 600 drones and around 30 missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, BBC reported. At least three people were reported killed, including a four-year-old child, in the central Zhytomyr region. “Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing. And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia,” Zelensky said, as air raid sirens sounded across several regions, reports BBC.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 38 missiles and 635 drones overnight, of which 34 missiles and 587 drones were intercepted by air defence systems, reports the BBC.

The attack involved both air- and ground-launched cruise missiles and was partially repelled using aircraft, anti-aircraft missiles, electronic warfare and unmanned systems. Authorities warned the assault was still ongoing and urged residents to follow safety precautions. The strikes also triggered widespread power disruptions. The assault punctured weeks of relative calm in Kyiv. Zelensky had earlier warned that Russia typically carries out large-scale strikes around Christmas, particularly between December 23 and 25. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. Over the past year, its forces have gradually expanded territory in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, while pushing toward Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War estimate Russia has captured about 4,700 sq km of territory in 2025, though they say it could take another two years,  at high cost, for Moscow to seize the rest of the Donetsk region, BBC reported.