KYIV, July 9: Russia launched a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones, along with 13 cruise and ballistic missiles, in a massive overnight attack on Ukraine. The hardest-hit area was Lutsk, a city near the Polish and Belarusian borders, housing key Ukrainian airfields used for receiving and distributing foreign military aid. These facilities are crucial for Ukraine’s logistics, and Russian attacks on them aim to disrupt vital supply routes.
Ukraine’s air defences intercepted 296 drones and seven missiles, while additional drones were jammed or lost from radars. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed all targeted air bases were hit, adding decoy drones to overwhelm Ukraine’s defences in recent assaults. This follows a pattern of large-scale Russian aerial strikes in recent months, with the aim of breaching Ukraine’s defences.
In response to the attacks, Poland raised its military alert level and scrambled fighter jets. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also warned that Russia could pose a serious security threat to the European Union by the decade’s end.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged the international community to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oil, aiming to cut off the Kremlin’s funding for the war. He was set to meet with Pope Leo XIV in Italy, part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to bolster Ukraine’s position.
Meanwhile, Russian air defences downed 86 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including Moscow, where flights were briefly suspended. A Ukrainian drone strike on the Kursk region killed three people and injured seven, including a child.
The drone conflict between Russia and Ukraine is escalating, with both sides ramping up their drone manufacturing. Western analysts predict that Russia could soon launch up to 1,000 drones nightly, underlining the growing importance of drones in the ongoing war. (AP)
