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Russian forces conducted a massive drone and missile strike consisting of 666 drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight on April 24 into April 25, primarily targeting Dnipro City, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killing at least six civilians and injuring at least 47. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 47 missiles and 619 drones against Ukraine overnight — the fourth Russian strike of over 500 strike vehicles in April 2026. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 12 Iskander-M ballistic missiles/S-300 surface-to-air missiles; 29 Kh-101 cruise missiles; one Iskander-K cruise missile; five Kalibr cruise missiles; and 619 Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, and other drones — of which roughly 400 were Shaheds. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian air defenses downed 30 missiles and 580 drones, that 13 missiles and 36 drones struck 23 locations, and that downed debris fell on nine locations as of 0800 local time, but noted that the strikes were still ongoing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russian strikes primarily targeted Dnipro City and also struck Chernihiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv oblasts. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration Head Oleksandr Hanzha reported that Russian missile and drone strikes against Dnipro City lasted over 20 hours, purposefully targeted residential areas, and killed at least six civilians and injured at least 47 others. Dnipro City Mayor Borys Filatov stated that Russian forces conducted a double-tap strike against first responders and Ukrainian government officials responding to the impact of Russian strikes against a residential building in Dnipro City.
Russian forces have been increasingly leveraging the strike tactic of launching massive strikes in waves to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses with long-range drones and cruise missiles, both of which Ukrainian forces have high interception rates, ahead of ballistic missile strikes, which Ukrainian forces struggle to intercept without Patriot interceptors. Russian forces often launch no or few missiles for multiple days in a row before launching strike packages with a significantly higher quantity of missiles, likely stockpiling missiles between strike series to maximize damage by launching several missiles alongside a large quantity of drones to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated on April 17 that Russia is preparing to conduct large-scale strikes of at least 400 drones and 20 missiles at a frequency of seven times per month. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Deputy Head Major General Vadym Skibitskyi recently stated that Russia is increasing the frequency of combined missile and drone strikes to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure and shape the battlefield for the Russian Spring-Summer 2026 offensive.
Ukrainian forces may have conducted drone strikes against Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast and Chelyabinsk City — around 1,600 to 1,700 kilometers from the international border. Geolocated footage published on April 25 shows smoke and damage to an apartment building in Yekaterinburg after a reported Ukrainian drone strike. Kremlin newswire TASS claimed that Ukrainian forces may have used an FP-1 long-range drone launched from Kharkiv Oblast in the strike against Yekaterinburg. Geolocated footage published on April 25 shows a smoke plume near the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant in Chelyabinsk Oblast, and a Ukrainian source reported that locals reported explosions in the area. Chelyabinsk Oblast Governor Alexey Teksler claimed on April 25 that Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian drone strike against unspecified infrastructure in the oblast, causing no damage. Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk are each about 1,600-1,700 kilometers from the international border with Ukrainian-held areas, and these reported strikes would mark some of Ukraine’s longest-range drone strikes against Russia thus far in the war. Ukrainian forces have previously struck the oil refinery in Ukhta, Komi Republic (over about 1,780 kilometers from the international border) with drones in August 2025 and with an FP-5 Flamingo missile on February 11 to 12.
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