In the pre-dawn darkness across Ukraine, residents awoke to the now-familiar sound of air raid sirens as Russia unleashed what Ukrainian officials are calling the largest drone assault since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The massive overnight barrage involved nearly 200 Iranian-made Shahed drones, marking a significant escalation in Moscow’s aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
“This represents an unprecedented scale of attack using these particular weapons systems,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a statement to CO24 World News. “The timing is clearly designed to maximize psychological impact and strain our air defense capabilities.”
Ukrainian air defense forces reported shooting down 145 of the 188 drones launched across multiple regions, with the capital Kyiv bearing the brunt of the assault. The city’s military administration confirmed that air defenses were active for over six hours, creating a nightmarish scenario for civilians seeking shelter.
The attack comes as temperatures plunge across Ukraine, raising concerns that Russia is renewing its strategy of targeting energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Last year’s systematic attacks on power stations and heating plants left millions of Ukrainians facing freezing conditions without electricity or heat.
“We’re witnessing a deliberate pattern of attacks against civilian infrastructure that constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law,” said Victoria Nuland, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. “These are not military targets—they are essential services that ordinary Ukrainians depend on for survival.”
In Kyiv, emergency services responded to multiple fires caused by falling debris from intercepted drones. Local officials reported damage to residential buildings in the Solomyanskyi and Holosiivskyi districts, with at least seven civilians injured, including a 13-year-old boy.
The unprecedented drone assault follows President Vladimir Putin’s recent approval of a revised nuclear doctrine that lowers Russia’s threshold for potential nuclear weapons use. Military analysts suggest the timing of both moves indicates a dangerous new phase in the conflict.
“Russia is simultaneously projecting strength through conventional means while sending nuclear signals to the West,” explained Dr. Alexandra Marksteiner, defense analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “This combination represents a calculated risk, testing Western resolve while avoiding direct NATO confrontation.”
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko confirmed that power infrastructure was damaged in three regions, but assured citizens that crews were working to restore services. Ukraine’s state energy company Ukrenergo implemented emergency power outages in several regions to stabilize the grid following the attacks.
The massive drone deployment also suggests Russia may be receiving new shipments of Iranian-made weapons, according to Western intelligence sources. Recent satellite imagery has identified increased activity at facilities associated with drone assembly and testing in both countries.
“The scale of this attack indicates Russia has either been stockpiling these systems or has received significant new deliveries,” a NATO intelligence official told CO24 News, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Either way, it demonstrates the continuing military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran despite international sanctions.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the attack to renew his appeal for advanced Western air defense systems and the lifting of restrictions on using long-range weapons against targets inside Russia.
“Each intercepted drone demonstrates that air defense works,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. “But each drone that gets through shows why we need more systems and fewer restrictions on their use.”
As Ukraine’s defenders assess the damage and prepare for potential follow-up strikes, a troubling question emerges: if Russia can sustain this intensity of drone warfare throughout winter, will Ukraine’s already strained energy infrastructure survive, or are we witnessing the beginning of another dark season for millions of Ukrainian civilians?
