Russia-Ukraine, unprecedented air offensives in 2026: 11 dead and around 1,000 drones launched by Kyiv

Russia and Ukraine have escalated their aerial clashes, exchanging the most powerful attacks recorded during 2026. Russian strikes killed at least five people in Ukraine and damaged the country’s largest steel plant, while Russian authorities reported that Ukrainian drones killed at least six people.

The strike on the steel plant killed two people and injured 14 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The company said the damage affected key production facilities, including the power-generation sectors and blast furnaces, resulting in partial disruptions to operations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure.” Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said the targets of the attacks in Kyiv were a facility belonging to a company that produces parts for Ukrainian Flamingo missiles and a factory that manufactures components for drones.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian bombardments sparked several fires in Kyiv, including at the Petrovka book market, while six people were injured. In other regions, the attacks killed one person in Sumy and two others in the Zaporizhzhia region.

At the same time, Ukraine carried out one of its largest drone operations since the war against Russia began, using around 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced that the attacks damaged and put out of service several large Russian depots used to supply the army. The Ukrainian military also said it had struck a facility in the Rostov region where fuel for missiles is produced.