In a sharp escalation of its conflict with Ukraine, Russia conducted its biggest aerial attack so far on the night of July 8-9, targeting sites all over the country with 741 drones and missiles. The huge attack came after a critical statement by former US President Donald Trump against Vladimir Putin and after Washington reaffirmed its commitment to supply defensive weapons to Ukraine.
Russian forces, as per Ukraine’s military, struck significant infrastructure in 10 areas, overwhelmingly targeting the Volyn area, including airbases and production facilities around Lutsk. Though large in scope, Ukraine claimed to have intercepted and defeated 718 of the 741 airborne threats using a mix of air defence systems, electronic warfare, interceptor drones, mobile fire units, and fighter aircraft.
Trump’s Criticism Followed by Airstrikes by Russia
The attack’s timing seemed to be a direct reaction to Donald Trump’s last statements. Trump earlier on Tuesday attacked Putin, stating, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
🔴 Russian forces have launched one of the most massive attacks on Ukraine to date tonight, with Lutsk and Zhytomyr being the primary targets.
Preliminarily, the assault involved:
– 540 to 620 Shahed drones or decoy drones
– 6 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles
– 4 Kh-101 missiles. pic.twitter.com/E7KKL8Ljdh— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) July 9, 2025
Trump also stated that Putin was “not treating human beings right” and justified US military support for Ukraine, saying, “he’s killing too many people, so we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine.”
Hours later, Russia unleashed the massive aerial bombardment, which Ukrainian officials described as a retaliatory show of force.
Ukraine’s Resilient Defence
Ukraine’s defense forces destroyed 296 drones and jammed 415 others. Ukraine reported that it defused all seven cruise missiles involved in the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, posted, “It is rather indicative that Russia conducted the attack precisely when the United States officially stated that it would be providing us with weapons.”
It was the second record-breaking air attack in under a week. Only days before, Russia had fired 550 drones and missiles after Putin and Trump held a phone call.
Putin Pushes Offensive Amid Trump’s Inaction
Even while verbally attacking Trump, however, critics observe that he has not yet taken effective action against Putin. His administration suspended military assistance to Ukraine, and recent developments indicate that Putin has become more assertive, emboldened by the absence of tangible sanctions.
Russia said its recent long-range “precision strikes” targeted military sites, including airports, and asserted all of the objectives were destroyed.
In the meantime, Russian troops claimed to have captured the village of Tolstoy in eastern Donetsk on Wednesday, ratcheting up the pressure on Ukraine’s eastern flank.
Zelenskyy Calls for Sanctions on Russian Oil
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attack and called for stronger sanctions against Russian oil exports, which he accused of financing Moscow’s war effort.
“Secondary sanctions on those who purchase this oil and thus sponsor murders… Everyone who desires peace must act,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that the barrage was evidence of “Russia continues to rebuff” all attempts at peace.
There were reports of damage in many areas, including Dnipro, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv, as the extent of the attack nationwide came to light.
