Ukraine Faces Heavy Bombardment as Russia Launches Hundreds of Airstrikes Over the Week

Over the past week, Russia has significantly increased its aerial assaults on Ukraine, deploying bombs, missiles, and drones across various regions. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Telegram post, Russian forces have conducted hundreds of airstrikes, focusing on civilian areas and critical infrastructure.

President Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched over 900 bombs, approximately 30 missiles, and nearly 500 Shahed drones in the past week alone. He emphasized that these attacks could have been deterred if Ukraine had received sufficient global support, particularly in acquiring longer-range defense capabilities and enforcing sanctions that would limit Russia’s access to critical drone and missile components, such as microelectronics.

“Ukraine deserves security as reliable as that enjoyed by our partners in the free world,” Zelenskyy stated, stressing the need for further support and measures to counter Russia’s missile and drone production.

Nighttime Attack on November 3

On the night of November 3, Russian forces launched an additional 96 drones and one guided missile, the Kh-59/69, which was intercepted by Ukrainian air defense. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, anti-aircraft units successfully neutralized 66 of the incoming drones across multiple regions, including Kyiv, Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv.

Debris from intercepted drones caused minor damage in Kyiv and Chernihiv, while further drone strikes led to a fire in Shostka, Sumy region, damaging local infrastructure. Additionally, 27 drones were lost to jamming measures, with one veering into Belarus.

Ukrainian forces employed a combination of anti-aircraft missiles, aircraft, electronic warfare units, and mobile response teams to counter the aerial threat.