Russia Launches Major Drone and Missile Barrage, Damaging Eight Ukrainian Regions

Russia's Combined Assault on Ukraine

According to Главком: In a large-scale overnight assault on February 26, the Russian Federation targeted Ukraine with a combined wave of drones and missiles. The attack inflicted damage across eight regions, striking residential buildings and critical energy infrastructure. This bombardment comes as part of a sustained campaign to degrade key facilities essential for civilian life in these areas.

According to reports, the assault involved:

• 420 drones, the majority of which were Shahed-type models;
• 39 missiles of various types, including 11 ballistic missiles.

The strikes caused destruction to numerous private homes and apartment buildings. Dozens of people were reported injured, including children. Occupying forces also hit gas infrastructure in the Poltava region and targeted electrical substations in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Affected Regions and Humanitarian Impact

Among the hardest-hit areas was Kharkiv, where drone and missile attacks struck at least four districts: Shevchenkivskyi, Kyivskyi, Saltivskyi, and Slobidskyi. Russian forces also attacked Zaporizhzhia and carried out a mass shelling of the Vinnytsia region. In Kryvyi Rih, the number of injured rose to two, including an 82-year-old woman seeking medical aid, following an earlier report of an injured 89-year-old man.

The Russian strikes deliberately targeted critical facilities, including:

• Electrical substations;
• An airfield;
• A combined heat and power plant (CHP);
• A thermal power station (TPS);
• A military-industrial complex facility.

“There is destruction in eight regions: many private and multi-story buildings have been damaged. As of now, we know of dozens of people injured as a result of this attack, among them children.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

He also stressed the critical need to continue strengthening air defenses: “But, unfortunately, there were also hits. And this means we need to work even more actively going forward.”

This attack represents a further escalation in the conflict, highlighting Russia's increasing reliance on mass drone and missile barrages. The targeting of vital civilian infrastructure points to a deliberate strategy aimed at destabilizing daily life across Ukraine. The significant civilian casualties underscore the severe humanitarian cost of the war and the ongoing necessity for international support in bolstering Ukraine's security and protecting its citizens.