Russia launches one of the largest attacks of the war, leaving at least 23 dead in Ukraine.

Russia launched one of the most devastating air offensives in recent months against Ukraine early Tuesday morning, using hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles to attack cities across the country. The bombings left at least 23 dead and more than 130 injured, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow could be preparing a new wave of attacks in the coming hours.

The offensive was particularly concentrated in Kyiv and Dnipro, although other regions were also affected. The attack occurred in a context of increasing military tension and after the Kremlin promised to respond ''systematically'' to recent Ukrainian operations against targets in Russian-controlled territory.

According to data released by Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces launched 656 attack drones and 73 missiles of various types during the night, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and hypersonic projectiles. Zelensky stated that the magnitude of the bombing demonstrates that Moscow maintains its strategy of pressure on the country's civil and energy infrastructure.

''According to our intelligence, another massive attack could occur tonight. I urge all citizens not to ignore air alerts and to seek shelter when necessary,'' the president declared in a message to the population.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it managed to shoot down or neutralize 602 drones and 40 missiles, although it acknowledged that some projectiles managed to breach the defenses. Among the weapons used by Russia were 33 ballistic missiles and eight Zircon hypersonic missiles, considered among the most advanced systems in the Russian arsenal.

The Zircon missiles, according to Moscow, have a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers and can reach speeds close to nine times the speed of sound, which significantly complicates their interception. Ukrainian military authorities noted that none of the Zircon projectiles were among the missiles shot down during the offensive.

The hardest-hit city was Dnipro, in the southeast of the country, where at least 16 people died after several missiles struck residential buildings. Rescue teams worked for hours among the rubble to locate survivors and recover bodies trapped under collapsed structures.

Among the victims were two children, including an eight-year-old. Three women also died, whose bodies were recovered from the remains of a partially destroyed apartment building due to the explosions.

The images released by local authorities showed homes completely devastated, burned vehicles, and vast urban areas covered in rubble. More than forty people were injured in the city, some of them in serious condition.

In Kyiv, the attack resulted in the death of seven people and left nearly 90 injured. Authorities reported damage to at least nine high-rise residential buildings, as well as a daycare, a medical clinic, offices, and other civilian facilities.

The explosions caused fires in various parts of the capital and left around 140,000 residents without electricity. For several hours, columns of smoke were visible from different sectors of the city as emergency services attempted to control the fire outbreaks.

The intensity of the attacks forced thousands of people to seek shelter in Kyiv's metro stations. According to the company that manages the underground system, more than 41,000 people, including nearly 4,500 children, spent the night protected underground, a record number since the intensification of the war.

After the attacks, Zelensky once again called for urgent help from Western allies, especially the United States. The president insisted that Ukraine needs more air defense systems and a greater supply of Patriot interceptor missiles to protect the population from Russian attacks.

''If Ukraine does not receive sufficient protection against ballistic missiles and other projectiles, these attacks will continue. We urgently need more Patriot interceptors,'' he stated.

Although Washington remains the main supplier of weapons for Kyiv, the administration of President Donald Trump has wisely reduced its direct involvement in the conflict while focusing part of its diplomatic and military efforts in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, several European allies have increased their contributions to finance the purchase of Patriot systems manufactured in the United States and subsequently transfer them to Ukraine.

For its part, Russia defended the military operation and claimed that the bombings were aimed at facilities linked to the Ukrainian defense industry. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it was a response to recent Ukrainian attacks against Russian targets and maintained that all intended targets were successfully hit.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared that the war has entered a ''new phase'' and confirmed that the attacks will continue. Moscow accuses Kyiv of carrying out attacks against civilians in Russian territory, while Ukraine asserts that its operations target military and logistical facilities used by the invading forces.