Large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes target Ukraine

By Defence Industry Europe

On July 8, Russian forces launched a two-phase attack on Ukraine, escalating their military aggression with a daytime assault involving around 40 cruise and ballistic missiles. This significant offensive followed a smaller-scale nighttime strike, with the primary focus on Kyiv, which had previously been spared in recent attacks.
Photo: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.

In the early hours of the morning, Russian forces conducted a large-scale attack on Ukraine, involving 120 missiles and 90 drones. The offensive, one of the largest in the ongoing conflict, utilised advanced weaponry including Zircon and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, Iskander ballistic missiles, and Shahed combat drones.

 

The strikes targeted critical energy infrastructure in cities such as Kyiv, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, and Rivne. Power plants and transmission lines were damaged, leading to significant disruptions. Ukrainian energy company DTEK announced pre-emptive power outages in the Kyiv, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, while Odesa experienced a total halt in electricity supply. Essential facilities such as hospitals and heating plants in Odesa switched to backup generators.

 

 

Railway services were also affected, with delays and disruptions reported on routes including Zaporizhzhia–Odesa and Kharkiv–Odesa.

Ukrainian forces reported intercepting over 140 missiles and drones, but several reached their targets, causing damage to energy infrastructure and other facilities. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence stated that the attacks also struck enterprises involved in military production.

 

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