Large‑scale Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine and their impact on cities, civilians, and infrastructure

Over the past month, Russia has significantly intensified its large-scale missile and drone assault campaign across Ukraine, unleashing waves of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting critical infrastructure, military assets, and civilian population centers. This sustained bombardment has inflicted severe damage on major urban hubs, disrupted Ukraine’s energy and transport networks, and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis amid harsh winter conditions.

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Renewed Massive Coordinated Russian Air Assaults

On the night of February 21–22, 2026, Russian forces orchestrated one of the largest air offensives since the onset of the war, launching approximately 96 ballistic and cruise missiles alongside over 1,300 drones and 1,400 aerial bombs. These attacks spanned at least 19 cities and regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and notably Sumy, where recent strikes have escalated civilian casualties.

Key weapon systems identified in the assault include:

• Iskander-M ballistic missiles and Kh-38 hypersonic glide bombs targeting energy facilities and military infrastructure.
• Mass drone waves, with reports of a single volley deploying over 120 attack drones, of which Ukrainian air defenses successfully engaged approximately 106.
• Confirmed use of phosphorus and incendiary munitions in populated areas such as Kostyantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, marking a dangerous escalation in weaponry utilization.

This campaign underscores Moscow’s strategic intent to apply pressure far behind the frontlines by degrading Ukraine’s war-sustaining capabilities through relentless strikes on energy grids, transportation nodes, and critical urban infrastructure.

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Geographic and Humanitarian Impact: Deepening Crisis

The onslaught has inflicted pronounced damage and casualties across multiple fronts:

• Odesa region suffered heavy damage to its vital Black Sea port, with destruction of cranes and loading facilities severely curtailing Ukraine’s maritime export capacity. This port damage threatens to choke off critical military logistics and economic lifelines.
• The Sumy region, previously less targeted, has experienced a sharp increase in bombardment intensity. Recent strikes resulted in at least eight casualties, signaling a strategic shift to intensify attritional pressure amid stalled diplomatic negotiations.
• Across Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kyiv suburbs, missile and drone barrages caused multiple civilian deaths and injuries, with confirmed fatalities including three civilians in Zaporizhzhia and Odesa and at least one in Kyiv’s outskirts.
• Widespread power outages and heating failures have left thousands vulnerable amid winter, as Russian strikes repeatedly disable electrical substations and energy infrastructure.
• Residential buildings, schools, and hospitals have come under indirect or direct fire, compounding humanitarian needs and complicating emergency response efforts.

Humanitarian agencies have expressed grave concern over the confirmed use of incendiary and phosphorus munitions in civilian-populated areas, which not only cause uncontrollable fires but also pose serious risks of long-term health and environmental harm.

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Ukrainian Air Defense and Resilience Amid Relentless Pressure

Despite the overwhelming volume of Russian attacks, Ukraine’s integrated air defense and electronic warfare capabilities continue to mitigate the onslaught’s full impact:

• Ukrainian forces report intercepting a significant proportion of incoming missiles and drones, including over 219 drones and dozens of ballistic missiles in a single night.
• A multifaceted defense system employing hunter-killer counter-UAV teams, advanced radar networks, and electronic jamming has proven effective in neutralizing many threats.
• Ukraine’s ability to rapidly restore power, maintain command and control, and conduct precision counterstrikes against Russian supply lines remains notable, demonstrating adaptive resilience.
• Special operations and drone units continue offensive actions targeting Russian rear-area logistics, indicating a dynamic balance between defense and counteroffensive measures.

Nevertheless, the continual strain on Ukraine’s energy grids and infrastructure underlines the persistent challenges faced by civilians and military alike.

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Strategic Assessment: Air Campaign as a Tool of Attrition

Analysts emphasize that while Russia’s ground offensives face significant manpower shortages and morale problems, Moscow maintains a potent capability to conduct deep strikes with missiles and drones, leveraging these to inflict attritional damage on Ukraine’s operational depth:

• The targeted destruction of energy infrastructure and transport hubs aims to degrade Ukraine’s war-sustaining capacity, disrupt military logistics, and erode civilian morale.
• The geographical broadening of strikes to include areas like Sumy reflects a strategic escalation intended to compel political concessions or weaken Ukraine’s negotiating position.
• The scale, intensity, and coordination of these air campaigns reveal Moscow’s continued prioritization of indirect pressure tactics, compensating for frontline stagnation.

The Institute for the Study of War and other strategic observers highlight that the missile and drone bombardments remain a critical element of Russia’s overall military strategy, designed to wear down Ukraine over time.

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Escalation Concerns and International Implications

The confirmed deployment of incendiary and phosphorus munitions in populated areas marks a severe escalation with profound humanitarian and legal ramifications:

• Use of these weapons in urban environments contravenes international humanitarian law norms and risks provoking wider international condemnation.
• The resulting fires and destruction exacerbate civilian suffering, complicate humanitarian access, and increase the risk of protracted displacement.
• Humanitarian organizations warn that continued escalations could further destabilize the already fragile civilian infrastructure and emergency response capacity.

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Summary and Outlook

• Russia’s ongoing large-scale missile and drone strikes represent a sustained effort to cripple Ukraine’s energy, transport, and military infrastructure across multiple regions.
• Recent intensification in the Sumy region and continued heavy damage to Odesa’s port facilities underscore a widening geographic scope and growing strategic urgency from Moscow.
• Civilian casualties continue to mount alongside widespread power outages, heating failures, and infrastructure devastation amid winter.
• Ukraine’s air defenses demonstrate significant effectiveness but remain under pressure from the scale and sophistication of Russian attacks.
• The use of incendiary/phosphorus munitions signals a worrying escalation with serious humanitarian consequences.
• Strategically, the air campaign serves as a key Russian lever to attrit Ukraine’s capacity to sustain the war, compensating for frontline difficulties.

This evolving and multifaceted air campaign highlights the critical importance of maintaining robust air defenses, infrastructure resilience, and humanitarian preparedness as Ukraine faces one of the most intense and complex missile and drone bombardments since the conflict began.