Russia hits Ukraine with second night of missiles and drones

These threats have remained just that, despite the U.S. and other Western powers giving tens of billions of dollars in weaponry to Ukraine, some of which has been used to strike Russian soil.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov alluded to Russia’s anger at American participation in Ukraine’s cross-border military activity, saying the U.S.’s involvement in Kursk incursion was a “fact.”

“The consequences [for the United States] could be much harsher than those they are already experiencing, they know where and in what areas we are reacting in practical terms,” Ryabkov said on Tuesday, according to TASS.

Also on Tuesday, Zelenksyy promised payback for the most recent night of destruction.

“We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks,” the Ukraine leader posted on X. “Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished.”

Two of the overnight fatalities died after their hotel in the central city of Kryvyi Rih was “wiped out,” Serhii Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk, said on the messaging service Telegram. Just three days ago, on Saturday, a security adviser with the Reuters news agency died after their hotel in Kramatorsk was struck.

Russia has repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure, from schools and hospitals to apartment blocks and grocery stores. The Kremlin nevertheless claims it only strikes military targets.

When asked about the death of the Reuters employee, Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov told reporters, “I repeat once again: the strikes are carried out against military infrastructure facilities, or those somehow connected to military infrastructure.”

Russia likely isn’t able to sustain this intensity of attack for long, according to a note late Monday from the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War. They nevertheless have painful and lasting consequences, not just the loss of life but disruption to energy and water supply in Kyiv and elsewhere after critical infrastructure was damaged.

Though these were bigger than most, such bombardments have become a grim constant in a Ukraine beset by full-scale war.

Several Russian military bloggers, such as the pro-war collective under the name of Rybar, called the recent uptick in attacks an “act of retaliation” for Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

However, many Ukrainian voices have pushed back against this narrative. 

“Why do western media keep asking if the attacks of the last 36 hours are a retaliation for #Kursk?,” Ukrainian lawmaker Lesia Vasylenko posted on X. “Anyone following the news these last 2.5 years can clearly see that NOTHING changed in #russia war tactics: they just keep bombing whatever they can bomb in #Ukraine.”

Meanwhile the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said there was “information” that Ukrainian forces were “trying to break through the border.” Citing the Defense Ministry, Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement that “the situation on the border remains difficult, but under control. Our military is carrying out planned operations. I ask you to remain calm and trust only official sources of information.”