Russia launched greater than 1,400 drones and 56 missiles into Ukraine on Wednesday and Thursday.
A lot of the onslaught was aimed on the capital Kyiv, days after Russia threatened to take action provided that Ukraine attacked its Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Purple Sq. on Could 9. It’s a main Russian vacation commemorating the top of the Second World Conflict.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had proposed a ceasefire, starting as early as Could 5.
Moscow didn’t reply till Could 7, and offered its peace proposal as a unilateral initiative, accompanied by threats to punish Kyiv if it didn’t respect its phrases.
Moscow stated Russian entrance line models would “launch a large missile strike” on central Kyiv if attacked.
Forty-three Russian drones and quite a few ballistic missiles have been launched into Ukraine on Could 9, and one other 27 drones on Could 10. It was not till Could 11 that Ukraine had a day of peace.
Moscow justified these assaults as reciprocity for Ukrainian assaults. Kyiv accused Moscow of breaking its personal ceasefire.
As soon as the ceasefire was over, on the night time of Could 11, Russia launched 216 drones and adopted up with a large strike involving 892 drones in a single day on Could 12 and in the course of the day on Could 13.
The night time of Could 13-14 was worse with 675 drones accompanied by 56 missiles.
Official Ukrainian reviews recorded strikes in not less than 20 areas within the capital, together with a nine-storey house constructing the place 12 folks have been killed within the collapse.
“These are bizarre residential buildings, a faculty, a veterinary clinic, and different purely civilian infrastructure,” wrote Zelenskyy on his Telegram messaging channel. “These are undoubtedly not the actions of those that consider that the warfare is coming to an finish.”
All through the week, Ukraine stated it shot down 92 % of the 1,930 drones launched, near Zelenskyy’s 95 % kill goal, with 41 out of 57 missiles downed.
Russia’s military slows down
Russia’s onslaught of got here as its armies in jap Ukraine slowed down.
The Institute for the Research of Conflict, a Washington-based suppose tank, estimated that they had superior by a median of two.9 sq km (1.1 sq miles) within the first 4 months of 2026, compared with 9.76 sq km (3.76 sq miles) a day within the first third of 2025 and 14.9 sq km (5.8 sq miles) a day between October 2024 and March 2025.
Two weeks into Could, that every day common had already dropped to 2.63 sq km (1 sq mile), suggesting Russia’s advance is slowing virtually every day.
The ISW recently estimated that Ukraine made web territorial positive aspects of 116 sq km (45 sq miles) in April – its first such advance since a September 2023 counteroffensive.
A few of that success is attributed to Ukraine’s profitable use of drones behind the entrance traces.
On Could 8, the Azov Corps of Ukraine’s Nationwide Guard introduced it had “returned to Mariupol”, 4 years virtually to the day because it surrendered management of town to Russian forces.
The Corps filmed drone strikes on Russian diesel tankers, military vehicles and different logistics 160 km (99 miles) behind the entrance line alongside the T-0509 freeway, which feeds the Russian warfare effort within the Donetsk area.
“The strike depth will enhance,” stated the Azov Corps.
Their strikes are a part of a broader Ukrainian marketing campaign to hit Russian logistics at center ranges of about 120-150 km (75-90 miles) from the entrance line as introduced by Zelenskyy on the finish of April.
“This primarily entails navy logistics, enemy warehouses and headquarters, air defence methods and different parts,” he stated, including that Ukraine had elevated its strikes at this depth five-fold in the course of the previous 12 months.
“We’re already finishing up about 5 thousand profitable strikes at a depth of 20 plus km (12 miles) each month,” stated Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov this week.
Additionally this week, a Russian navy reporter stated Ukrainian Hornet drones have been focusing on Russian logistics on roads nearer to the frontlines.
“Though the entrance line is greater than 35 km away from the M-30, it’s at present paralysed resulting from enemy [First Person View drone] surveillance,” wrote the Russian reporter.
“In 2014-2015 the entrance line was nearer, however the M-30 was safer,” he added. “It’s because many individuals suppose that if the entrance line strikes away from giant cities and logistics routes they turn out to be safer, however for some purpose nobody takes into consideration that the vary of enemy drones, even FPV surveillance, will increase extra quickly relative to the motion of the entrance line.”
Russia’s declining efficiency just isn’t resulting from lack of effort.
“The enemy has intensified offensive actions alongside virtually all the entrance and is regrouping its troops,” stated Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii on Could 8. “Probably the most tense space is at present the Pokrovsk path, the place the Russian aggressor has concentrated about 106,000 personnel,” he stated.
Since March, Ukraine has elevated strikes towards Russian oil infrastructure as many as 1,700 km (1,056 miles) inside Russia, in an effort to starve its warfare machine of diesel and export income.
Andriy Kovalenko, the top of Ukraine’s Heart for Countering Disinformation, stated the Ukraine Safety Service (SBU) hit the Yaroslavl oil refinery and Perm oil pumping station on Could 8 – Perm sends oil in 4 instructions throughout Russia to refineries and export terminals.
Russian media reviews stated the hearth from a earlier strike on the pumping station was not put out till Could 11.
The SBU additionally stated it hit the Perm refinery that day.
Through the week, Ukrainian forces struck drone bases and a radar analysis centre in Rostov-on-Don, the Bryansk chemical plant, an explosives warehouse in Nizhny Novgorod and different targets.
Fedorov on Monday thanked Germany for investing $1bn in Ukraine’s deep strike capabilities, when his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, visited Kyiv.
“Total, Ukraine’s positions proper now – on the entrance line, in our long-range sanctions, and in our joint outcomes with companions – are the strongest they’ve been in years,” stated Zelenskyy.
