In the early hours of Sunday morning, September 28, Russia fired more than 600 drones and missiles at targets across Ukraine in one of the largest barrages of the entire war.
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 595 drones and 48 missiles, including powerful cruise and ballistic weapons. Air defenses managed to intercept or suppress 43 cruise missiles and the vast majority of the drones, but the massive scale of the attack underscored Kyiv’s persistent challenge.
The assaults resulted in immediate casualties and infrastructure damage. At least four people were killed in the capital, Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, with 42 people injured in the city and surrounding region. Another 31 people were injured in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the Cardiology Institute in the capital was damaged and called the attacks a “war against civilians.”
The timing of the bombardment was noted by the Ukrainian leadership. President Zelensky stated, “This vile attack took place practically as the UN General Assembly week was concluding, and this is exactly how Russia declares its real position.”
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha warned that “Putin must know that each such attack brings him closer to Russian assets being fully used for Ukraine’s defense,” referring to the ongoing process within the EU and UK to seize frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s support.
Poland scrambled fighter jets in its airspace early Sunday as a preventive measure due to the proximity of the threat and recent Russian drone incursions over its territory.
Amid the heavy bombardment, Kyiv continues to strengthen its air and long-range capabilities. Zelensky reported that Ukraine recently received a Patriot missile defense system from Israel and is expecting two more from Germany, calling the batteries “critical.”
Furthermore, Zelensky announced a significant diplomatic breakthrough following a “very good meeting” with U.S. President Donald Trump last week, where they advanced a “$90 billion megadeal” to buy U.S. weapons systems.
Following that meeting, Trump made a sharp turnaround in his stance, stating that Ukraine was now in a position to “fight and WIN” the war and take back all occupied land.
Russia, for its part, maintained that its forces had launched a “massive strike” against military industries and airfields in Ukraine.
