VLADIMIR Putin has unleashed another night of hell over Ukraine with a terrifying 500 missile and drone onslaught.
Nato was forced to scramble its warplanes after one of the most devastating nights of air attacks in the war with several Ukrainian cities hit in apocalyptic blasts.
East2WestExplosions in Kremenchuk as missiles and drones strike the city[/caption]
East2WestA huge blast was seen from the oil refinery[/caption]
ReutersA residential block in the town of Smila, Cherkasy region was badly hit[/caption]
Putin mounted major attacks across much of Ukraine in what is reported to be one of the heaviest bombardments of the three year conflict so far.
Several cities were attacked by Putin’s forces with cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles and Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones simultaneously.
Four Kinzhal and seven Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles were also fired at Ukraine.
Putin ordered his Tu-95 strategic bombers and MiG aircraft to carry out the heinous air assaults.
During the Russian raids a F-16 fighter pilot died defending Ukraine.
Air ace Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko, 32, used all his weapons to shoot down seven aerial targets streaking towards Ukrainian cities.
But his warplane was damaged during the battle and he steered it away from buildings before it crashed in a fireball before he could eject.
Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force described the overnight attack as the most massive air strike on the country in three years.
One of the worst hit was Kremenchuk, as a major attack left the city on fire with footage capturing dozens of terrifying explosions lighting up the night sky.
A blast targeted an oil refinery with the video showing the attack turned the skies a crimson red overnight.
It is said to be the most powerful blitz on the city since the start of the war back in 2022.
Kherson regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said that the blasts on the frontline city were deadly.
He claimed one person had died in a drone strike with another six people wounded in Cherkasy – including a child.
Elsewhere, a missile strike on Zaporizhzhia left an industrial facility on fire.
Mykolaiv and Donetsk region were also both badly hit as the Russians targeted Lviv in western Ukraine as well.
Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said Russian forces attempted to strike critical infrastructure, but no civilians or residential buildings were damaged.
Ukraine claimed to have downed 475 out of 537 aerial targets.
Poland’s operational command quickly announced that Nato fighter jets were scrambled because of the intensity of the Russian onslaught.
They said in a statement: “Due to the attack by the Russian Federation carrying out strikes on objects located in the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation has begun operating in our airspace.
“The Operational Commander of the [armed forces] has activated all available forces and resources at his disposal.
“The on-duty fighter pairs have been scrambled, and the ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness.
“The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the areas bordering the threatened areas.”
Inside Russia’s faltering war
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
THE Russian invasion of Ukraine has been advancing at an incredibly slow pace – with Kyiv’s “dronegrinder” warfare miring Putin’s summer offensive.
The rate at which Moscow is capturing land has been dubbed “slower than a snail” – all while the human cost of Russian casualties is sky high.
After 448 days of fighting inside Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, the Russians reportedly only managed to take control of 50 per cent of the city.
Which means the troops, on average, are only able to take 0.00629 square miles of land per day – which is a painfully low conversion rate.
Even snails, which have a speed of 0.03 miles per hour, can cover more land than what the Russians have gained in the region.
Meanwhile, Kyiv has ramped up its defences as it seeks to thwart Vladimir Putin’s final killer summer offensive, which military analysts say could start as early as July.
Ukraine’s fierce resistance forced Russian troops to stop in the Sumy region’s border area, Kyiv’s military Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky revealed.
The military boss said that the Ukrainian armed forces managed to tie down a 50,000-strong force and stabilise the frontlines “as of this week”.
But, some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly now massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence.
Ukrainians have tasked a special defence group to strengthen fortifications near the frontlines, build anti-drone corridors and “kill zones”
It comes amid fears that Vladimir Putin may launch a fresh summer offensive to try and take as much land as he can before agreeing to a ceasefire.
It follows a team of German fighter jets who were dramatically scrambled to help intercept a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea on Friday.
Two Eurofighters roared into action on Friday after NATO radar spotted a Russian Il-20 with its transponder switched off.
The plane had taken off from Kaliningrad and was heading west toward Poland and Germany, according to Bild and The Kyiv Independent.
Despite the continued Russia aggression, Ukraine has continued to defend themselves valiantly against enemy attacks.
They even landed a humiliating blow to the Kremlin on Saturday.
They launched a tactical drone attack on Russia’s Marinovka military airfield in the Volgograd region in Friday.
Ukraine used long range drones to fly 200 miles to inflict millions of pounds worth of damage to Putin’s aerial firepower.
The blitz targeted a set of four Su-34 fighter jets which are each worth a reported £37million.
Furious Russian military analysts confirmed that two of the Su-34 multi-role fighters used on the frontline for bombing missions against Ukraine were destroyed.
ReutersUkrainians take shelter inside a metro station during a Russian military strike[/caption]
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