Moscow launched another blistering swarm of drones at Ukraine’s capital city Tuesday morning, striking most of Kyiv’s districts in response to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb last week. 

Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia delivered at least 315 drones and seven missiles into Ukrainian territory overnight, with most targeting Kyiv. The nationwide attacks killed five people and injured dozens. 

In Kyiv, the strikes lasted five hours, leaving several cars destroyed and residential buildings in flames. Residents of the city were asked to refrain from outdoor activities due to poor air quality from the bombings. 

Ukrainian officials said the country’s missile and drone defense systems shot down more than 200 drones and several ballistic missiles but couldn’t prevent damage to infrastructure. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Russia for its alleged attacks on civilian infrastructure and called on the U.S. to punish Moscow.

“It is important that the response to this and other similar Russian strikes is not the silence of the world but concrete actions. Actions by America, which has the power to force Russia to peace,” he wrote on Telegram. “Hard pressure is needed for peace.”

Mr. Zelenskyy said the strikes were evidence of Russia’s collaboration with other countries, including North Korea and Iran.

A report last month by the U.N.-backed Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team found that Russian cooperation with North Korea has expanded during the war. According to the report, North Korea has sent hundreds of thousands of pounds of ammunition to Russia over the past three years and received assistance for its ballistic missile program.

Tuesday’s strikes follow devastating Russian drone and missile attacks the day before.

The strikes this week are likely a response to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb from last week, when drones destroyed dozens of heavy bombers on Russian airfields. 

Meanwhile, the two sides met in Istanbul last week.

Ukraine has repeatedly insisted on securing a temporary ceasefire while a more permanent deal is hammered out, a proposition Russian leaders have publicly opposed.

Russia has demanded that Ukraine move its troops out of Crimea, recognize Russia’s authority in the region and limit foreign assistance. Russia has also made Ukraine’s possible NATO membership a key aspect of its peace terms, asserting that any deal should include a limit to the alliance’s eastern expansion.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.