After night strike on Ukraine, first Kremlin statement

Russia launched a significant overnight assault on Ukraine, striking the capital Kyiv and other cities with missiles and drones. Ukrainian authorities reported that at least 11 people died and over 100 were injured in the coordinated attacks, which followed days of warnings from Moscow about impending large-scale retaliation.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the strikes, stating that its armed forces used high-precision, long-range aerial, ground, and sea-based weapons. The ministry claimed that seven Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv, were targeted. Russia asserted that it successfully struck objects important to Ukraine's armed forces, such as fuel infrastructure, transport facilities, and military airfields, utilizing hypersonic missiles and drones.

These strikes appear to be a direct response to recent Ukrainian actions. Last week, the Kremlin warned of "systematic strikes" on Kyiv in retaliation for what it called a "devastating" Ukrainian attack on a dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region, which resulted in 21 deaths. Ukraine, however, stated its target was a drone control center in the area, not the dormitory itself.

Adding to the escalating conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused Kyiv of opening "a new page in a series of crimes" by striking both the dormitory and an apartment building in the Kherson region, which is under Russian control. Both nations continue to deny intentionally targeting civilian populations amidst the ongoing hostilities.