Russia Launches Record-Breaking Drone Attack On Ukraine Amid New U.S. Military Support

 

Russia unleashed its largest drone assault on Ukraine since the start of the war, Ukrainian officials reported Wednesday, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged additional military aid to Kyiv and sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for obstructing peace efforts.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the unprecedented attack involved 728 drones and 13 missiles — far surpassing the previous record of 539 drones used in a single operation. Despite the scale of the offensive, Ukrainian defenses successfully intercepted 718 drones, limiting damage and preventing fatalities. One woman was reported injured near Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the timing and scale of the strike. “This is a demonstrative attack,” he wrote. “It comes at a time when there have been so many attempts to achieve peace and a ceasefire, but Russia rejects everything.”

Zelensky urged Ukraine’s international partners to intensify pressure on Moscow, calling on those who support peace to “act.”

The primary target of the attack was the city of Lutsk, in northwestern Ukraine. The strike was so extensive that neighboring Poland scrambled aircraft in response. “Virtually everything was flying toward Lutsk,” said Ivan Rudnitskyi, head of Volyn region’s military administration.

In retaliation, Ukraine launched 86 drones targeting Russia overnight, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

The surge in hostilities comes on the heels of dramatic developments in Washington. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, President Trump condemned Putin’s approach to diplomacy: “We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin. He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Trump confirmed that the U.S. would resume arms shipments to Ukraine, reversing a pause reportedly initiated without his prior knowledge. “We’re going to send some more weapons,” Trump said. “They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very, very hard.”

The Pentagon later confirmed that defensive weapons would be dispatched at Trump’s direction, stating the goal was to support Ukraine while working toward “a lasting peace.”

According to multiple sources, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had paused certain weapons shipments — including critical Patriot interceptor missiles — without notifying the president in advance.

Across the Atlantic, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Berlin’s commitment to Ukraine, stating that diplomatic avenues for ending the conflict were now “exhausted.” Addressing parliament, Merz warned that Russia’s actions threaten the democratic order of Europe and vowed to do everything in his power to stop it.

Meanwhile, Europe’s top human rights court issued a landmark ruling on Wednesday, finding Russia guilty of widespread human rights violations in Ukraine. The case, brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands, confirmed a “pattern” of abuses since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Also on Wednesday, Ukraine’s intelligence agency announced the arrest of two Chinese nationals accused of espionage. Authorities say the individuals were caught attempting to smuggle classified information about the country’s Neptune missile systems back to China. One suspect, a former student, was reportedly caught in the act of transferring secret documents.