Russia fires Zircon hypersonic missile, designed to take down aircraft carriers, at Ukraine
Russia has launched one of its largest air attacks of the war, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at targets across Ukraine, leaving at least 11 dead and wounding more than 100 more.
This was not just a big strike; it was a very deliberate one.
Ukraine said that more than 650 drones and over 70 missiles were launched, and it is a mix that really matters.
A layered attack: drones first, then missiles after
The cheap Shaheds and Geran drones go in first, easy to shoot down individually.
However, in those kinds of numbers, they are not meant to get through Kyiv's defences; they are meant to overwhelm them.
Behind that was a layer of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and, in this case, Zircon hypersonic missiles.
The Zircon hypersonic missiles were originally designed to take out aircraft carriers.
It flies at around Mach 8, which means Ukraine's air defences have seconds, not minutes, to react.
The Zircon has a range of 1,000km (625 miles), and the attack included eight of these missiles, a Ukrainian air force spokesperson said.
In theory, systems like the Patriot can intercept them, but those interceptors are incredibly limited and expensive.
The Russian strategy is not about one weapon breaking through – it is forcing Ukraine to fire everything it has, all at once.
Kyiv said that it shot down most of these targets, with the Ukrainian air force saying that 40 missiles and 602 drones were destroyed.
On the other hand, when you are dealing with this volume of missiles and drones, even a small percentage getting through is enough to do damage.
Photographs showed large explosions and smoke rising from high-rise buildings in Kyiv following the attack.
The Kremlin is struggling
If we look beyond this attack at the bigger picture, Moscow is having a difficult time on the ground.
It is making slow progress, even losing ground in some areas, and it is taking eye-watering numbers of casualties.
By contrast, above ground, Russia is showing that it can manage to fire significant numbers of missiles and drones.
In response, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky is once again calling for more air defence systems from the West, not just to stop individual strikes, but to keep the whole system from being worn down over time, which is the danger.
Russia's president Vladimir Putin knows Moscow is not winning on the battlefield, so exhausting Ukraine's ability to defend itself by putting Kyiv into a state of overload and forcing difficult choices seems to be a growing tactic, with these huge barrages becoming fewer one-off spikes and more part of a sustained Russian campaign.
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