Russia launches rare daytime aerial assault as new offensive begins Russia conducted one of its largest aerial attacks since the war began, launching 948 drones in a single day as it deployed troops and equipment to the front lines, signaling the start of a new offensive. The strikes, which occurred on Tuesday, targeted western Ukraine and resulted in casualties, including two deaths in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk and one in the Vinnytsia region. Footage shared online showed a drone crashing into an old building near a church in Lviv’s historic center, damaging part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site surrounding the 17th-century St. Andrew’s Church. Lviv’s Governor Maksym Kozytskyi confirmed the damage, while Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko condemned the attack, calling it an assault on a “crowded city center in broad daylight.” The attacks followed an overnight bombardment across 11 regions, killing five people, including two in Poltava and one each in Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged allies to supply Kyiv with air defense systems, warning that the country faces a missile shortage as the U.S. focuses on its involvement in the conflict with Iran. He emphasized the importance of fulfilling agreements on air defense, stating that such systems are critical for countering Russian ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy also noted that talks between Ukraine and the U.S., held in Florida, had not yet produced a security guarantees agreement. He had previously claimed the document, which would ensure U.S. and allied support in case of a future Russian attack, was “100 percent ready” for signing. However, he acknowledged that the geopolitical situation has grown more complex due to the war on Iran, stressing the need to develop guarantees that could help end the war.#russia #ukraine #lviv #ivanofrankivsk #vinnytsia
