Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly criticised Russia on Tuesday, calling its actions “absolute depravity” after a series of attacks hit Ukrainian cities, including the historic city of Lviv. The strikes killed at least eight people and damaged parts of a UNESCO heritage area.

“This is absolute depravity, and only someone like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin could find this appealing,” Zelenskyy said.

Massive drone assault across Ukraine

Russia launched an intense wave of aerial attacks, deploying nearly 1,000 drones in just 24 hours, according to Ukrainian authorities. This included one of the largest daytime drone assaults since the war began.

Ukraine’s air force said around 550 drones were fired during the day on Tuesday, after 392 were launched overnight.

Yuriy Ignat said, “On such a large scale, it’s basically the first time. I don’t recall there being such daytime strikes with this number of drones.”

Multiple cities hit, casualties rise

The attacks affected several regions across Ukraine. In Ivano-Frankivsk, two people were killed and a maternity hospital was damaged in a drone strike. Four others, including a six-year-old child, were injured.

In central Vinnytsia, another person was killed. Earlier overnight strikes on residential areas across different cities left at least five more people dead.

In Lviv, at least 13 people were hospitalised following the attack.

Historic sites and buildings damaged

Drone strikes caused visible destruction in Lviv’s city centre. Flames were seen rising near the 17th-century St. Andrew’s Church and Bernardine Monastery after the attack.

Firefighters rushed to control the blaze at a damaged apartment building, where the roof was destroyed and windows were blown out. Videos on social media showed a drone hitting a building near a church, creating a massive fireball.

Energy and infrastructure impacted

The strikes also disrupted energy supplies in eastern and southern Ukraine. Earlier attacks on Saturday had already caused damage to critical infrastructure, worsening the situation.

Zelenskyy says Russia not seeking peace

Zelenskyy said the scale of the attacks shows Russia has no intention of ending the war.

“The scale of this attack makes it abundantly clear that Russia has no intention of actually ending this war,” he said, adding that Ukraine “will certainly respond to any attacks.”

Concerns over Ukraine’s defence capacity

Ukraine is increasingly worried about its ability to defend against such large-scale aerial assaults. Supplies of US air defence systems are running low, especially as global focus shifts to tensions in the Middle East.

Wider impact across regions

Russian missile and drone strikes hit residential areas, transport networks, and energy facilities across the country. In regions like Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, at least five people were killed and dozens injured.

Strike reported inside Russia

Meanwhile, in Russia’s Kursk region, authorities said a Ukrainian strike hit a farm, killing one person and injuring 13 others.