Russia reports conducting a “massive” overnight strike targeting nine Ukrainian cities, while multiple outlets describe explosions across Ukraine during the night.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the attack begins after nightfall on Wednesday and involves missiles and drones aimed at targets it describes as “military-related.” Sources also say the strikes continue into the night and affect multiple urban areas rather than a single location. The framing is broadly consistent across outlets, though some reports focus more on Russia’s description of the operation (“massive”) and others emphasize the reported scale and spread of the attack across cities.
Several outlets add context about Ukraine’s air-defence situation, including claims that air defences are depleted or struggling to respond. The New York Post specifically notes Ukraine’s shortage of US-made Patriot air defence missiles, positioning this as a factor in the impact of the overnight strikes. Other reports do not specify the particular weapons system, instead broadly describing difficulties in countering missiles and drones.
