KIEV, Ukraine — July 9, 2025: Russia launched its most extensive aerial assault of the war early Wednesday, unleashing 728 drones and 13 missiles across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, as reported by Daily Hurriyet News. The barrage surpassed last week’s record of 550 projectiles and came just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to increase arms shipments to Kyiv, reversing a prior American policy shift.
Air raid sirens wailed across cities far from the front, including Kiev and Lutsk. Ukrainian officials reported that air defenses intercepted 711 drones and shot down at least seven missiles. In Lutsk, fires broke out at an industrial site, though no casualties were reported.
“This is a telling moment,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media. “As global leaders push for peace and ceasefires, Russia responds with destruction.”
The timing of the strike, Ukrainian officials argue, is no coincidence. “Russia attacked precisely as the United States reaffirmed its military support,” said Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff.
Diplomatic efforts have stumbled, with recent prisoner exchanges yielding no broader breakthroughs. The Kremlin now insists there is no viable path for negotiations, reaffirming its intention to overthrow Ukraine’s leadership and seize territory.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has ramped up its own strikes inside Russia. Moscow’s Defense Ministry claimed it downed 86 Ukrainian drones overnight, primarily in the country’s western regions.
As Zelensky renews calls for tighter sanctions — especially targeting Russia’s lucrative energy exports — the war, now in its fourth year, shows no sign of easing. Instead, both sides appear locked in an increasingly volatile escalation.
