Russian military forces have once again launched a large-scale attack on Ukrainian territory, employing a significant arsenal of weapons and unmanned systems to strike targets across the country
According to official information released by Ukraine’s Air Force, on the evening of May 29, Russian occupiers carried out a missile attack using two ballistic missiles—"Iskander-M" and "KN-23"—and launched approximately 90 kamikaze drones of the Shahed type, along with other UAVs and decoy unmanned aerial vehicles of various models. Military estimates indicate that anti-aircraft missile units managed to intercept and neutralize 56 of the launched drones; however, some of them reached their targets and caused damage in 12 locations across Ukraine. The Air Force add that by the morning of May 30, the situation remained tense: a significant number of enemy UAVs were detected and destroyed in the eastern, southern, and northern regions of the country. Overall, according to the agency, 26 drones were shot down by air defense systems directly in the air, while another 30 were suppressed or locationally destroyed by electronic warfare (EW) forces. Furthermore, military sources report that the Russians launched drones from areas near Russian cities: Millerovo, Orel, Shatalovo, Kursk, as well as from the coastal-Donbass direction. Regarding the missile attack, it was conducted from the territory of the Voronezh region in Russia. The enemy aircraft and missiles deliberately targeted objects in the Kharkiv, Odesa, and Donetsk directions, indicating the large scale and targeted nature of this operation. Ukrainian forces responded promptly on the front lines. Aviation, anti-aircraft units, EW units, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine’s defense forces worked in coordination to mitigate the attack's consequences and protect civilians and strategic facilities. According to representatives of the Air Force, this once again demonstrates the vital role of the air defense system in deterring and neutralizing the enemy amid active hostilities. Overall, this nighttime attack is among the largest in recent times—Russia is demonstrating a trend toward increased activity by employing a broad spectrum of weapons and unmanned systems to reduce the ability of Ukrainian forces and defenses to respond effectively. Military officials emphasize that Ukrainian defenses remain resilient and capable of resisting the enemy, while also calling on the international community to strengthen support in the ongoing fight against Russian aggression.