Drones of Russian origin overwhelm Kyiv from various angles, indicating a potential change in battle strategies.
In an unprecedented escalation of the ongoing conflict, Russia launched its largest drone assault against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, attacking Kyiv with 728 drones and 13 missiles on the night of July 8–9, 2025.
The assault resulted in substantial damage across the city, with a health care clinic almost completely destroyed and residential apartments damaged. More than a dozen people were wounded, and at least two people, including a 22-year-old police officer named Maria Dziumaha, were tragically killed.
Ukrainian air defense forces managed to intercept 711 of the drones and at least seven missiles, with the Ukrainian Air Force successfully shooting down or disabling 382 of the 415 aerial weapons Russia launched.
The attacks have led to increased tensions between Russia and the United States. US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and pledged to send additional defensive weaponry to Kyiv in response to Russia's sustained assault.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia on Thursday. However, Moscow downplayed Trump's harsh words in a press briefing on Wednesday.
The latest offensive attacks have caused a ripple effect, with hundreds of Kyiv residents spending another sleepless night in shelters. Tetyana, a 68-year-old Kyiv resident, reported that the windows in her apartment were smashed by the pressure wave from a nearby explosion. Nadiya Voitsehivkya, a resident of Kyiv, spoke about her brother-in-law being injured and her sister's apartment being destroyed.
CNN staff witnessed massive, fiery explosions in Kyiv, and smoke filled the air, obscuring visibility in the city center. Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have largely stalled, and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russia committed a pattern of human rights violations in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The world watches as the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold, with hopes for a peaceful resolution growing increasingly slim.
- The escalating politics between Russia and Ukraine has overshadowed discussions on education-and-self-development and personal-growth, with war-and-conflicts dominating general-news headlines.
- The tragic death of 22-year-old police officer Maria Dziumaha, killed in a car-accident caused by the bombing, has highlighted the devastating impact of war-and-conflicts on personal-growth and the psyche of individuals.
- The recent fires caused by Russian drone attacks in Kyiv have added to the chaos and destruction, further jeopardizing the safety and security of its citizens.
- Amidst the raging war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice continues to be a concern, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
- As the world grapples with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, hopes for peace and the resumption of normal life, such as attending schools for education-and-self-development and reducing reliance on cars due to accident risks, grow distant and elusive.
