Key Points:
- Russia launched a staggering 267 drones on Ukraine overnight, the highest single-attack tally since the war began in February 2022.
- Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 138 drones, while 119 were “lost” without causing harm; the fate of 10 remains unclear.
- A separate missile strike killed one and injured five in Kryvyi Rig, as Russian aggression intensifies.
- Ukraine retaliated with 20 drones targeting Russian territory, all destroyed, per Moscow’s claims.
In a dramatic escalation of its nearly three-year war against Ukraine, Russia unleashed an unprecedented 267 drones across Ukrainian skies in a single night, marking the largest such assault since the invasion began on February 24, 2022. The Ukrainian air force, reeling from the sheer scale of the attack, confirmed the barrage occurred between Saturday and Sunday, with air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat dubbing it “a record for a single attack” in a gripping Facebook post on February 23, 2025.
Ignat detailed the chaotic night, revealing that Ukraine’s air defenses managed to shoot down 138 of the incoming drones a testament to the country’s resilience under fire. Another 119 drones mysteriously “vanished” mid-flight, likely due to electronic jamming or navigational failures, and caused no reported damage. However, the fate of the remaining 10 drones remains a chilling mystery, with Ignat offering no specifics. A separate statement from Ukraine’s armed forces on Telegram painted a grimmer picture, noting that several regions including the capital, Kyiv suffered direct hits, though details of the destruction were not immediately disclosed.
The drone onslaught wasn’t Russia’s only move. Late Saturday, a missile strike tore through Kryvyi Rig, a bustling industrial hub in central Ukraine, leaving a trail of tragedy. Regional authorities reported Sunday that the attack claimed the life of one man and wounded five others, a stark reminder of the human toll exacted by Moscow’s relentless campaign.
Ukraine Strikes Back, Targeting Russia’s Heartland
Undeterred, Ukraine has kept up its own fight, aiming to cripple Russia’s war machine by hitting targets deep inside enemy territory. Throughout the conflict, Kyiv has launched audacious strikes on Russian military bases, factories, and supply lines—desperate bids to stem the tide of daily bombardments like the one seen this weekend. On the same night Russia rained drones on Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry boasted that its forces neutralized 20 Ukrainian drones buzzing toward Russian soil, claiming all were “destroyed” before reaching their targets.
A War Rooted in Rivalry and Retaliation
Russia’s invasion, now approaching its third anniversary, was justified by the Kremlin as a defensive move against NATO’s eastward creep a narrative that has fueled its military push into Ukraine since February 2022. Yet, the war has morphed into a brutal tit-for-tat, with both sides deploying increasingly sophisticated weapons and tactics. Ukraine’s pleas for Western support have grown louder, even as diplomatic ripples like a hushed meeting between Zelensky’s team and a Trump envoy hint at shifting U.S. priorities, including pressure on Kyiv to secure a minerals deal and “tone down” its defiance.
As the conflict grinds on, this record-breaking drone assault underscores a grim truth: neither side is backing down, and the skies over Ukraine remain a battleground of technology, willpower, and survival.
