KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive Russian drone and missile attack on civilian areas in Ukraine killed four people and wounded at least 27 others, officials said Tuesday, as Moscow’s military stepped up efforts to breach Ukraine’s frontline defenses in what could be the start of an expected spring ground offensive.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia launched nearly 400 long-range drones into Ukraine overnight, the largest attack in weeks. The attacks continued into Tuesday morning, with dozens of drones striking the capital Kiev during the day.
Russia also fired 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles into Ukraine during the night, hitting at least 10 locations in the country, according to the Air Force.
Ukrainian civilians have been subject to relentless attacks since Russia launched a sweeping invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago. U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kiev over the past year have brought no respite, with Russia rejecting Ukraine’s ceasefire offer and the war in Iran in recent weeks diverting international attention from Ukraine’s plight.
Along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (750-mile) front that winds along eastern and southern Ukraine, undermanned defenders have been preparing for a new offensive by Russia’s larger army as the weather improves.
General Alexander Silsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Russian troops have simultaneously attempted to break through defense lines in several strategic areas in recent days.
Silsky said on the Telegram messaging app on Monday that “heavy fighting was taking place across the entire contact line” and that Russia had launched 619 attacks in four days.
“The occupiers are trying to mobilize new forces and are preparing to continue the attacks,” Silsky said, adding that Ukraine had deployed reinforcements to counter the attacks.
The Institute for War Studies, a Washington think tank, said Silsky’s report supported its assessment that Russia’s spring and summer offensive was underway.
The ISW said late Monday that Russia had stepped up its strikes since March 17 and moved heavy equipment and more troops to the front lines.
Each year, as the weather improves, Russia ramps up its brutal war of attrition. However, it failed to capture cities and made only incremental gains in rural areas. Russia occupies approximately 20% of Ukraine’s territory. This includes the Crimean peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014.
Ukraine has developed advanced drone technology to make up for its infantry shortage.
Amid the Middle East conflict, Kyiv has supplied Ukraine’s battle-tested drone defense systems to the United States and Gulf partners, hoping to trade the technology for scarce Patriot anti-aircraft missiles needed to fend off Russian attacks.
Ukraine has also used its domestically produced long-range drones to attack areas where Russia supports Moscow’s war. The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that Russian air defense systems intercepted 55 Ukrainian drones at night in Russian regions, annexed Crimea and the Black Sea.
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