Russia's Overnight Airstrike on Ukraine: Destruction and Resilience

Russia conducted an overnight airstrike on Ukraine, killing one person and damaging critical infrastructure. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed numerous drones and missiles. The strikes affected various regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Ivano-Frankivsk, leading to power outages and fatalities. Russia defends targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure as a military necessity.

Russia launched a significant overnight airstrike on Ukraine, killing at least one person and causing substantial damage to critical infrastructure, according to Ukrainian authorities on Thursday.

Kyiv's military reported that Russian forces fired 78 attack drones and six missiles across multiple regions during the prolonged assault. Air defenses managed to neutralize 66 drones and four missiles. In southern Ukraine's Odesa, a missile strike claimed the life of one woman, while eight others were injured in a guided-bomb attack on Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, as stated by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko on social media.

Approximately a dozen drones were destroyed over the capital, Kyiv, where 20 cars and a residential gas pipe sustained damage, according to Serhiy Popko, the head of the local military administration. In the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, a Russian strike left parts of the city without power, as described by regional governor Svitlana Onyshchuk.

Ukraine's national grid operator reported outages in central Poltava and northern Chernihiv regions, along with power cuts in frontline areas. Later in the morning, Kyiv's air force noted the launch of several hypersonic Kinzhal missiles but provided no additional immediate information.

Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Russia has frequently deployed drones and missiles to target Ukrainian towns and cities far from the front lines. While Russia consistently denies targeting civilians, it asserts that Ukraine's energy infrastructure remains a legitimate military target.

(With inputs from agencies.)