Explosions rang out across the country, from east to west, including in relatively war-free areas such as Kharkiv, Kropyvnytsky, Dnipro, Lviv, Loutsk and Kyiv. On the morning of Monday, August 26, Ukraine was the target of the largest Russian missile and drone attack since the invasion began in February 2022.

The strikes, which hit energy infrastructure in 15 regions of the country, left five people dead and dozens injured, according to the latest official toll. The attack comes as Ukrainian forces claim to be gaining ground in the Russian border region of Kursk since their highly secretive incursion on August 6.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed on his Telegram channel that Russian forces had launched "more than 100 missiles of various types and 100 Shahed" kamikaze drones. The Ukrainian general staff at the end of the day revised the count to one hundred and twenty-seven missiles and 109 attack drones.

"We could do much more to protect lives if the air forces of our European neighbors worked together with our F-16 [fighters] and anti-aircraft defenses," added Zelensky, who had announced the arrival of the long-awaited American fighters at the beginning of August, without specifying the number.

On the Russian side, the defense ministry said it had carried out a "massive strike" against energy sites "enabling the operation of Ukraine's military-industrial complex" as well as "electricity substations" in nine regions of the country. Gas network "compressor stations" were also hit in the Lviv and Kharkiv regions, according to a statement.

The bombardment also hit the hydroelectric power station on the Dnipro river, upstream from the capital. A video posted on social media showed the road above the dam littered with debris. Andriy Kovalenko, of Ukraine's national security and defense council, immediately stated that the strikes posed no threat to the Kyiv dam.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Polish and allied aircraft were sent into the airspace of NATO member Poland, due to the intensity of Russian bombing near its border. The Polish army announced that a "flying aircraft," probably a Shahed kamikaze drone, had penetrated its airspace, before disappearing from radar.

In the Ukrainian capital, the first air defense explosions were heard at 8 am. Thousands of residents rushed to deep subway stations to seek shelter, while Ukrainian energy operator Ukrenergo imposed emergency power cuts to stabilize the grid.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko also announced that some neighborhoods would be without water. The alert lasted seven hours and 46 minutes. Ukrainian authorities were ordered to open "points of invincibility," shelters where people can charge their phones and other devices during power cuts, said Prime Minister Denys Chmyhal.

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