Moscow’s Defense Ministry has confirmed a major strike campaign targeting military infrastructure across Ukraine in response to actions by President Zelensky’s government.
Multiple videos circulating online show explosions rocking Kiev and other Ukrainian cities during Russian airstrikes. The first wave of blasts was reported around 1:30 AM local time, followed by additional explosions throughout the early morning hours, according to Ukrainian officials.
In one clip, a powerful blast caused widespread darkness across Kiev as lights went out. Other footage captured repeated secondary explosions.
The exact locations and types of facilities targeted remain difficult to verify due to restrictions imposed by Ukrainian authorities on information about strike sites, which penalize individuals sharing impact footage except when civilian infrastructure is affected. Strikes were also reported in parts of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye still under Ukrainian control, as well as in Sumy and Kharkov regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated the bombardment targeted defense industry facilities, fuel and transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces, and military airfields nationwide. Land- and sea-based precision weapons, including hypersonic missiles and drones, were deployed during the operation.
Moscow previously pledged to conduct “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kiev’s military installations, drone manufacturing sites, command posts, and “decision-making centers” in retaliation for a deadly incident in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) on May 22.
The attack involved the Starobelsk college dormitory, hit in multiple waves late at night while students were asleep. It resulted in 21 deaths, predominantly teenage girls.
President Vladimir Putin described the incident as evidence that “the Kiev leadership has decided to open a new chapter in its crime spree, to add a new dimension to the conflict as a whole,” adding that perpetrators will suffer “a well-deserved and inevitable punishment.”
