LOGIC.co.id – Russia carried out its largest airstrike since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, launching a total of 367 drones and missiles overnight on May 25, 2025. The attack targeted several cities, including the capital Kyiv, killing at least 12 people, among them three children in the northern Zhytomyr region, and injuring more than 60 others, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack and criticized what he called the silence of major powers, especially the United States under President Donald Trump, which he believes has taken a softer stance on Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
“The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
“Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia.”
The Largest Assault in Terms of Weapons Used
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 298 drones and 69 missiles during the assault, with 266 drones and 45 missiles successfully intercepted. While not the deadliest attack, it marked the highest number of weapons fired in a single strike since the war began more than three years ago.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko described the attack as a “combined, ruthless strike targeting civilians,” and said the Kremlin’s goal remains to spread fear and death.
Significant damage was reported across several major cities, including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Ternopil. In Kyiv, 11 people were injured, while four others were killed in the surrounding region, officials said.
Civilian Casualties Across Multiple Regions
In Kharkiv, drones struck three districts of the city, injuring three residents. Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported broken windows in high-rise apartment blocks caused by the blasts. In the southern city of Mykolaiv, a 77-year-old man was killed and five people were wounded. The regional governor published images of a residential building with a large hole blown into its structure and debris scattered around.
Further west, in Khmelnytskyi region—far from the frontlines—four people were killed and five others injured, the local governor said.
Second Major Airstrike in Two Days
This marks the second large-scale aerial assault in just two days. On Friday night, Russia launched waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, with attacks continuing through the night.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses had intercepted or destroyed 95 Ukrainian drones in a four-hour period. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 12 Ukrainian drones were shot down on their way to the capital.
Calls for Ceasefire and Sanctions
The massive attack comes as Ukraine and Russia engage in a prisoner exchange expected to swap 1,000 people each over a three-day period. Meanwhile, Ukraine and its European allies continue to push for a 30-day ceasefire as a starting point for negotiations to end the war.
However, those efforts were dealt a setback earlier this week when President Trump declined to impose new sanctions on Moscow for refusing to agree to an immediate pause in fighting, as Kyiv had requested.
Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to President Zelensky, warned that Russia and its allies will continue to build up military strength if the international community remains passive.
“Without pressure, nothing will change, and Russia will only prepare more violence—even in Western countries,” Yermak stated.
“Moscow will fight as long as it has the ability to produce weapons.”