Russia launched nearly 1,000 drones across Ukraine within a 24-hour period between March 23 and 24, marking one of the largest aerial attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The massive assault targeted regions across the country, including western areas far from the front lines.
After an overnight barrage of missiles and drones, Russia continued its offensive on Tuesday with a rare daytime wave of more than 550 attack drones aimed at central and western Ukraine. T
he combined overnight and daytime attacks resulted in multiple casualties and widespread destruction.
At least three people were killed and more than 30 injured during the daytime strikes, following overnight missile and drone attacks that killed at least four people and injured 21 others, according to regional authorities.
Western Ukraine was heavily affected, particularly the city of Lviv, where 17 people were wounded after drones struck civilian areas near the Polish border. The attacks also damaged the Bernardine Monastery complex, a historic architectural landmark located in Lviv’s UNESCO-listed old town.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the church dates back to the early 17th century and condemned the attack, accusing Russia of targeting cultural and historical sites.
He also criticized Russia’s use of Iranian-made Shahed drones, calling the strikes an attack on Ukrainian history and culture.
Other western cities, including Ivano-Frankivsk, were also hit. Two people were killed in the city centre, and four others were injured, including a six-year-old child. Authorities reported damage to maternity hospitals and around ten residential buildings.
Explosions were also reported in Khmelnytskyi and Ternopil in western Ukraine, as well as Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr in central Ukraine. In Zhytomyr, a 12-year-old girl was injured in a strike and hospitalized.
The capital Kyiv and surrounding areas were also targeted during the daytime attacks, with Ukraine’s Air Force reporting drones approaching the city from the north.
Ukrainian officials say Russia is changing its tactics in an attempt to find weaknesses in Ukraine’s air defence systems and increase the effectiveness of its large-scale drone attacks.
Zelenskyy said the scale of the attacks shows that Russia has no intention of ending the war, adding that stronger international pressure on Moscow is needed to force a change in course.
