Russia launches nearly 1,000 drones in one of war's largest assaults, killing 7 and injuring at least 50
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Russia launched nearly 1,000 attack drones against Ukraine over the 24-hour period between March 23 and March 24, in what appeared to be one of the largest aerial assaults of the full-scale war, according to the General Staff.
The barrage included a rare daytime wave on March 24, when more than 550 kamikaze drones were launched across central and western regions of the country, the General Staff said. These strikes followed overnight attacks across Ukraine.
In Lviv, at least 32 people were injured after drones struck civilian areas, according to Lviv Oblast Governor Maksym Kozytskyi. Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported hearing air defense activity, drones, and explosions in Lviv at around 4:20 p.m. local time.
Yarema Semaniv, a Lviv resident who was having tea at a cafe about 500 meters from one of the strike sites, said the daytime attack felt different from previous Russian strikes on the city. "People were running from the Danylo Halytsky monument as if it was a terrorist attack," he said. "It was the first time I experienced something like that downtown. This is definitely something new."
Two districts of the city were hit, with fires breaking out in residential buildings in the historic center and the Sykhiv district. An architectural landmark of national significance, the Bernardine Monastery complex, was damaged in the attack, Kozytskyi said.
The site lies within Lviv's historic center, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fires broke out in buildings within the monastery complex, with the extent of the damage still being assessed. Strikes also hit critical infrastructure facilities in the Komarno and Dobrosyn-Maheriv communities, Kozytskyi added.
Ivano-Frankivsk, another regional capital in western Ukraine, was also targeted with Russian drones. Two people were killed in the attack on central Ivano-Frankivsk, Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk reported. Four others were injured, including a 6-year-old child, and are receiving medical assistance. Authorities also reported damage to maternity hospitals and around 10 residential buildings.
Explosions were also reported in Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi. A 12-year-old girl was injured in a Russian strike on central Zhytomyr and has been hospitalized, where she is receiving medical care, Zhytomyr Oblast Governor Vitalii Bunechko said. The attack damaged a two-story residential building and shattered windows in nearby structures.
In Vinnytsia, at least one person was killed, and 13 others were injured in the mass attack, regional official Nataliia Zabolotna reported.
In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, a man was injured, suffering a concussion and a brain contusion. He was hospitalized, and the attack caused power outages in parts of the region, with repair crews working to restore electricity, Governor Serhii Tiurin said.
Russian strikes hit energy infrastructure facilities and an administrative building in Ternopil Oblast, causing power outages, regional Governor Taras Pastukh reported.
Kyiv and surrounding areas were also under threat as the daytime assault continued. Ukraine's Air Force reported at 11:07 a.m., 11:45 a.m., and 12:36 p.m. that drones were flying towards Kyiv Oblast and the city of Kyiv from the northern direction. At 12:35 p.m., an air alert was announced in Kyiv, according to the Kyiv City State Administration.
By mid-afternoon, the Air Force reported that the attack continues with "a large number of Russian drones" flying over the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Kherson, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry advisor Serhii Flash said that Russia is constantly changing its tactics for massive strikes, "trying to find vulnerabilities," and break through Ukraine's air defenses.
"The current strategy is to launch strikes spread out over time," he wrote on Facebook.
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