Firefighters attend to the aftermath of an airstrike in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine, 9 July 2025. Photo: Zhytomyr region administration

The Russian army launched 728 drones, seven cruise missiles and six Kinzhal ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, in the largest single airstrike since the start of the war, the Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) reported on Wednesday.

The main target of the attacks was the city of Lutsk, in the Volyn region of northwestern Ukraine. Ukrainian air defences shot down 711 drones and all seven cruise missiles. The attacks struck four locations, according to the UAF.

Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said the city had experienced its most intense Russian attack since the start of the war, independent newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reported. There were no reports of casualties, it added.

Drones also struck the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, injuring one person, according to local official Mykola Kalashnyk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolayiv, Kirovohrad and Cherkasy regions were among those attacked.

The previous largest Russian attack prior to the overnight barrage was the launch of 539 drones in the early hours of Friday.

US President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to end the war and Russia’s continued drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. On Monday, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed in a statement that the US Department of Defence would send “additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops”.