Sixteen Ukrainian regions in Russia's crosshairs: Zelensky reveals the scale of the latest assault

Russia's heavy air campaign against Ukraine

According to МВС: Over the past week, Russian forces struck 16 regions across Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. He put the number of launched weapons at roughly 1,900 drones, nearly 1,600 glide bombs, and 144 missiles of various kinds, including ballistic ones. The attacks caused extensive damage, with more than 1,500 sites hit, among them hundreds of ordinary residential buildings. For outside observers, these figures offer a stark measure of the daily pressure on Ukrainian communities.

What the strikes have meant on the ground

Among the hardest-hit cities is Sumy, which came under glide-bomb attack. In Brovary, a drone strike killed one person and wounded six others. Kharkiv and its surrounding region are also enduring constant shelling, while overnight strikes targeted Odesa Oblast, Zaporizhzhia, and the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Zelensky stressed the need to widen sanctions against Russia's defense-industrial base, pointing out that many enterprises producing components for drones, missiles, and guided bombs have yet to be sanctioned.

“During this week, 16 of our regions came under fire. Just in that period, Russia launched about 1,900 drones, almost 1,600 glide bombs, and 144 missiles of different types, including ballistic ones.” - Volodymyr Zelensky

These events show how the conflict is escalating and underscore the severity of the threat Ukraine faces. Tighter sanctions on Russia's military sector are becoming more urgent, as such measures could seriously limit Moscow's ability to sustain its combat operations. At the same time, coordinated international support and a unified response to the aggression remain essential for regional security.

In light of these escalating attacks, President Zelensky has emphasized the critical need for a robust international response. He has urged the EU to swiftly implement the latest sanctions package, which could play a vital role in curtailing Russia's military capabilities and protecting Ukrainian regions from further assaults.