Russia strikes Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing at least 8 civilians

What This is

• Russia launched a large overnight missile-and-drone barrage across many parts of Ukraine, killing civilians including children and injuring dozens.
• Ukrainian officials said Russia fired more than 70 missiles and about 280 attack drones, and that air defenses intercepted many but could not stop all impacts.
• The hardest-hit areas cited in reports included the Dnipropetrovsk region and the western city of Lviv, with damage also reported in Kyiv and other regions.
• Strikes damaged homes, schools, and other civilian sites and sparked fires, as emergency crews carried out search-and-rescue operations.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs more air-defense systems and interceptors, and argued delays in deliveries increased the harm to civilians.
• Poland scrambled aircraft during the attacks and investigated reports that an unidentified object or a Russian missile entered Polish airspace and left a crater.
• Russia’s defense ministry said the strikes targeted military and defense-industry facilities, including drone production and storage sites in Kyiv.
• The attacks came as Zelenskyy pressed the United States for Patriot interceptor missiles and for licenses that could allow Ukraine to produce some interceptors domestically over time.

Why This Matters

• Repeated mass strikes keep civilians under constant risk and strain Ukraine’s ability to keep basic services running.
• Ukraine’s push for more Patriot interceptors highlights how air defense has become a key limiter on Russia’s ability to cause large-scale damage from the air.
• The possible airspace incident in Poland raises the risk of accidents or miscalculation spilling the war into NATO territory.
• Differences in early casualty totals show how hard it is to verify facts quickly during wide, multi-region attacks.