Kyiv awoke to another night of terror after Russian forces unleashed what Ukrainian officials described as a “massive attack” on the capital and multiple regions across the country. At least four people were killed and 27 wounded in the capital, while a separate strike on Zaporizhzhia injured 16, including three children.
Ukraine’s foreign minister said Moscow had launched “hundreds of drones and missiles” in the overnight bombardment, one of the heaviest in recent months. Russia has yet to comment on the strikes, though the scale suggested an effort not only to damage infrastructure but also to test Ukraine’s overstretched defenses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking only hours before the assault, warned that Russia’s aggression would not stop at Ukraine’s borders. “Putin will not wait to finish his war in Ukraine,” he said. “He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows where. He wants that.”
The warning appeared prescient. NATO states bordering Ukraine reported fresh provocations over the weekend. Poland scrambled jets as Russian missiles approached its airspace; in recent weeks, Polish and NATO aircraft have shot down drones that strayed across the frontier. Estonia has accused Moscow of violating its skies with warplanes, while Denmark has said drones recently flown over its airports bore the hallmarks of a “professional actor.”
Such incursions have deepened fears in Europe that the war is spilling outward. In response, NATO has reinforced its eastern flank, underscoring how the conflict in Ukraine is increasingly entwined with the security of the broader alliance.
Moscow, however, sought to tamp down speculation. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Russia had “no intention” of striking NATO or EU member states, though he warned of a “decisive response” to any perceived aggression.
The rhetoric comes against shifting political winds in Washington. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as a broker of peace while remaining vague on details, recently suggested Ukraine could “win back all of its land” — a sharper tone than his earlier calls for compromise.
For now, Ukrainians face the immediate reality of shattered neighborhoods, disrupted lives, and the grim expectation of more nights like the last.
Africa Digital News, New York
