Four and a half years in, Russia and Ukraine are fighting a different war than the one most people stopped following. The front has almost frozen. The fighting that matters has moved to the sky, to Russia’s refineries — and to an American missile shortage caused by a different war entirely.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has removed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in office, exposing a deep dispute over military reform and triggering rare wartime protests. No successor has been approved.
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Russia launched a rare large-scale daytime drone and missile barrage across Ukraine on March 24, killing civilians, wounding dozens and striking cities far from the front, in one of the broadest aerial attacks seen in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials said the assault hit at least 10 locations, including Lviv in the west, while Reuters reported that more than 550 drones were launched during the daytime phase and nearly 1,000 drones and dozens of missiles had been fired since the previous evening.
The strikes caused damage across multiple regions and underscored the continued reach of Russia’s long-range attack campaign. In Lviv, local officials said 22 people were wounded and cultural landmarks were damaged, including structures in the city’s UNESCO-listed historic area. Fatalities were in Ivano-Frankivsk and Vinnytsia as well, including a National Guard serviceman and his teenage daughter, while the Associated Press said the nationwide toll had risen to at least six dead and 46 injured.
The scale and timing of the attack made it especially notable. The operation was described as an unusual daytime assault, departing from the nighttime strike pattern that has defined much of Russia’s drone and missile campaign. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched more than 400 drones in the daytime wave alone, prompting air defense activity around Kyiv and in western Ukraine near the Polish border.
The barrage also appears tied to a broader shift in the war. The Associated Press reported that Russian forces have intensified pressure along the front and that Ukrainian officials and analysts view the aerial assault as a possible sign that Moscow’s anticipated spring offensive is beginning. A day earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence was detecting preparations for a new major Russian attack and warned citizens to pay attention to air raid alerts.
Among the most symbolically significant strikes was the attack on central Lviv, a city long seen as one of Ukraine’s relative rear areas. St. Andrew’s Church, a 17th-century structure within the city’s UNESCO World Heritage zone, was hit during daylight hours, with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko saying the attack struck a crowded city-center area. The damage added to a growing record of cultural sites being affected by the war’s expanding aerial reach.
Ukrainian officials used the latest barrage to renew calls for more air-defense support, arguing that the attacks are testing the country’s ability to protect cities as Russia scales up drone usage. Zelenskyy described the assault as further evidence that international pressure on Moscow must increase, while also warning about the strain on Kyiv’s missile supplies. Ukraine is trying to bolster its defenses as Russia presses both from the air and along the front line.
For now, the March 24 barrage stands as both a major standalone attack and a warning sign about the direction of the war. It showed that Russia retains the capacity to launch mass drone strikes deep into Ukrainian territory in daylight, hitting civilian areas, historic districts and infrastructure well beyond the main combat zones. Whether it proves to be the opening signal of a larger spring campaign or a brutal surge in an already attritional air war, the attack marked another escalation in the pressure being placed on Ukraine’s defenses and population.
Spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry Zakharova calls Zelensky a “terrorist outcast”. Credit: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Russian officials are vowing a strong response to what they describe as a “terrorist attack” using 91 Ukrainian UAVs against Putin’s Valdai residence in Novgorod oblast. Russia’s Ministry of Defence says all drones were intercepted with no casualties or damage being reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Russia’s Armed Forces have deemed “how, with what, and when to respond” to Ukraine’s ‘terrorist attack’. Ukrainian monitoring channels have previously warned of a large Russian attack coinciding with New Year’s Eve. Putin told Trump that “Kiev’s terrorist actions” will not go unanswered, according to Russia’s TASS state news agency.
Spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova also ramped up the rhetoric by calling Ukrainian President Zelensky a ‘terrorist outcast’, vowing that a strong response is coming. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, also said that Zelensky would “have to stay in hiding for the rest of his worthless life”.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the timing and nature of Russia’s response to “Kyiv’s state terrorism” has been decided
Ukraine denies
Ukraine vehemently denies being behind the reported drone attack against Putin’s residence, with President Zelensky saying that it is “a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine”. Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have told Ukrainians to remain vigilant, warning that Russia is preparing ground to “strike Ukraine’s government buildings in Kyiv”
No evidence has been provided by Russia of the attack on Putin’s residence. Local residents have told independent Russian outlet SOTA that no air defence activity was heard in the proximity of Putin’s residence last night.
A source close to French President Macron told Reuters on Tuesday there was no evidence to corroborate Russia’s claims that Ukraine targeted Putin’s residence. Asked by reporters, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said there was no need to provide evidence of the attack.
Peace Negotiations
Russian officials have signalled a switch in their approach to the ongoing peace negotiations with Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Peskov said Russia would toughen its negotiating position. It’s not immediately clear what this would entail as no further information has been provided.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian State Media that Trump told Putin that the drone attack would affect American approaches to working with Zelensky. US officials have not confirmed this.
International reactions
US President Donald Trump told press that he was angry when President Putin told him about the attack on his residence. In a phone call with the Russian leader, Trump reportedly said “Thank God, we did not give Tomahawks to Ukraine”, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Nicaragua have condemned the purported attack against Putin’s residence. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X that he was “Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation”.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha says they were “disappointed and concerned to see the statements by Emirati, Indian, and Pakistani sides expressing their concerns regarding the attack that never happened.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have condemned the Kremlin for what they deem a false flag operation to justify possible strikes against Ukraine. Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said in response to the Russian claims that “The Kremlin butcher needs war, not peace, to justify existence”.
