As spring arrives, Russia has significantly intensified its offensive against Ukraine. According to reports on Tuesday (March 24th), Russia launched nearly 400 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine in the late hours of Monday, prompting NATO neighboring countries’ fighter jets to scramble into emergency action.
According to Ukrainian officials cited by the Associated Press, this large-scale aerial attack has resulted in at least 6 deaths and 46 injuries. The strikes targeted multiple regions including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv.
As reported by East2West, due to the proximity of Russian military attacks approaching NATO airspace, both Poland and Romania have deployed fighter jets in response. The Polish operational command announced that they have placed the air defense system on “highest alert status.”
Just hours ago, two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in Romania, also a NATO member, as Russian drones attacked areas near the Danube River, which borders Ukraine and Romania.
Ukrainian military leaders have stated that Russian forces have intensified their assaults along the approximately 750-mile frontlines, launching hundreds of attacks in recent days. The escalation of the offensive, as reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) via the Associated Press, indicates that Moscow’s long-planned spring offensive is now underway.
Ukrainian Air Force data shows that in addition to launching nearly 400 Iranian drones, Russian forces have fired 23 cruise missiles and 7 ballistic missiles, hitting at least 10 locations nationwide. While most threats have been intercepted or disrupted, some missiles have hit their targets, causing a 17th-century UNESCO heritage-listed church in Lviv to catch fire.
Despite relentless bombings, Russian troops are making slow progress on the ground. Over the past year, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine mediated by the United States have failed to make substantial progress, as Russia has consistently rejected ceasefire proposals.
Currently, Russia occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea seized in 2014. A soldier named “King” fighting in the Lyman region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine revealed to the Associated Press that despite intensified Russian attacks, aiming to achieve Putin’s goal of full occupation, no breakthrough has been achieved, stating that the situation is tense but not critical.
To compensate for infantry shortages, Ukraine has developed advanced drone technology. As conflicts continue in the Middle East, Ukraine is providing its combat-tested drone defense technology to the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council partners.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to deploy domestically produced long-range drones to launch counterattacks within Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 55 Ukrainian drones in Crimea and the Black Sea waters at night. Additionally, as reported by East2West, a day before the latest wave of attacks, Ukrainian forces struck the largest Russian Baltic Sea port, Primorsk, with precision, causing the key export hub to erupt in flames.
(Adapted from reporting by Fox News)