Russia has launched a series of aerial attacks on Ukraine using cruise missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles, according to Ukraine's air force. The chief of the army has reported an escalation in troop concentration in the Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have made significant advances in a spring offensive.
Ukraine's GUR military intelligence operation has claimed that sea drones destroyed two Russian KS-701 patrol boats in the Black Sea near the Russia-annexed Crimean peninsula. Russian officials have not yet responded to this claim.
The air force disclosed that the overnight attacks involved eight S-300 ballistic missiles, 11 cruise missiles, and 32 Shahed drones. While all the drones and seven of the cruise missiles were successfully intercepted, further details were not provided.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, seven individuals sustained injuries, and a municipal services building caught fire during the attacks, as reported by regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. Additional Russian aerial strikes were noted in Khmelnytskyi and Dnipropetrovsk, although no injuries were reported in these areas.
Army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi shared on social media that Russia is deploying army units to the Kharkiv region from other parts of Ukraine to reinforce forces in the towns of Vovchansk and Lyptsi, the primary areas of conflict. Ukraine has also mobilized reserve troops to the region.
Russia's Defense Ministry announced that its air defenses successfully intercepted eight U.S.-made ATACMS missiles over the Azov Sea, which borders both Russia and Russian-held Ukrainian territory. Additionally, one individual was injured by a drone explosion in Russia's Belgorod region, adjacent to Kharkiv.
Delays in U.S. military aid and insufficient military production in Western Europe have hindered critical deliveries to the Ukrainian battlefield, allowing Russia to exploit these delays and make gains in the Kharkiv region. Russian missiles and bombs have targeted Ukrainian military positions and civilian areas, including the power grid.
