MOSCOW

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that it carried out a large-scale overnight strike on Ukraine’s military industry.

According to a ministry statement, the strike was “a response to the terrorist attacks” by Kyiv “on civilian infrastructure facilities on Russian territory.”

“The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All designated targets have been hit,” the ministry said.

In a separate statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike, saying Russia launched 420 drones and 39 missiles of various types, including 11 ballistic missiles, against Ukraine overnight.

“There is destruction in eight regions, and many private and multi-story buildings have been damaged. Dozens of people are known to have been injured, including children,” he said.
Energy facilities were hit in the Poltava, Kyiv and Dnipro regions. Rescuers are working in the Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions, as well as in the capital, Kyiv.

“Most of the missiles launched today were successfully shot down, thanks to partners who promptly provided air defense systems as agreed during the last Ramstein meeting. But there were also hits, which means we need to work even more actively going forward,” Zelenskyy said.

Independent verification of the claims is challenging due to the ongoing conflict.