Almost 1,000 drones within 24 hours: Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Ukraine

Almost 1,000 drones within 24 hours: Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Ukraine

Between March 23 and 24, Russia executed a major aerial operation against Ukraine, deploying nearly 1,000 drones in a single day. This marked one of the most intense drone campaigns since the start of the full-scale invasion. The assault began with a night-time barrage of missiles and drones, followed by a daytime surge of over 550 attack drones targeting central and western regions.

Regional officials reported at least three fatalities and more than 30 injuries during the daylight phase, adding to the four lives lost and 21 wounded from the overnight strikes. Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, was hit as Russian drones struck civilian areas near its border with Poland, leaving 17 people injured. The Bernardine Monastery complex, a national architectural treasure in Lviv’s historic center—a UNESCO World Heritage site—suffered damage, according to local authorities.

“Iranian ‘Shahed’ drones, modernized by Russia, are striking a church in Lviv – this is an absolute perversion, and only someone like Putin could find this appealing.”

Elsewhere, Moscow’s strikes targeted critical infrastructure in multiple districts. Ivano-Frankivsk, another regional capital, saw two deaths and four injuries, including a young child, in its city center. Damage was also reported to maternity hospitals and around 10 residential buildings. Explosions were confirmed in Khmelnytskyi and Ternopil in the west, as well as Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr in the central part of the country. A 12-year-old girl in Zhytomyr was injured and hospitalized following a Russian strike.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry advisor Serhii Flash noted that Russia is consistently refining its tactics for large-scale strikes, “trying to find vulnerabilities” and challenge the nation’s air defenses. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the magnitude of the attack clearly indicates Russia’s intent to prolong the conflict, stating, “without additional and strong pressure on Russia, without tangible Russian losses, those in Moscow will have no desire to step back from the war or to get used to peace again.”