Politics Russia intensifies air strikes on Ukraine again
Despite ongoing peace efforts, Russia has once again massively attacked Ukraine from the air after days of relative calm. According to the Ukrainian air force, it counted 614 hostile flying objects.
21.08.2025, 10:15
SDA
In addition to hundreds of drones, the Russian army also deployed hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Explosions could be heard over the capital Kiev, where the night-time air alert lasted almost eight hours. The city's military administration called on people to stay in shelters.
Hits in the far west of Ukraine
Rockets even hit the westernmost part of Ukraine, in Mukacheve near the border with Hungary. According to the city, 15 people were injured. According to media reports, a factory for electronic components was hit and there was a large fire. Also in the west of the country, in the large city of Lviv, one person was killed and three others injured, according to mayor Andrij Sadowyj.
In the days before and after the summit meeting between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska last week, Russia had significantly reduced its night-time air strikes. According to the military, the Ukrainian air defense managed to fend off one of four Kinschal hypersonic missiles.
In addition, 18 out of 19 Ch-101 cruise missiles and 12 out of 14 Kalibr cruise missiles were eliminated, as well as more than 570 drones. Nevertheless, according to the air force, there were eleven strikes in many regions of the country. Such military data cannot be verified in detail, but it gives an impression of the scale of the attacks.
What is the next political step?
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for almost three and a half years. Following the Alaska summit, US President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders discussed a peace process for Ukraine on Monday. According to Trump's plans, the next step will be a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Moscow is evasive about this.
For its part, Ukraine attacked targets in the Russian hinterland at night using combat drones. The Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow reported 49 intercepted drones. According to Russian telegram channels, one target was the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the Rostov region of southern Russia, where a fire had broken out. A railroad line in the Voronezh region was temporarily closed. The airports in Volgograd and Kaluga had to temporarily suspend operations due to drone alerts.
New Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missile
Ukraine itself is building longer-range combat drones and has stepped up its systematic attacks on Russian territories far behind the front line in recent months. These days, the Kiev leadership has also allowed insights into the construction and testing of the new Flamingo cruise missile. It allegedly has a range of 3,000 kilometers and can therefore reach targets in Russia as far as beyond the Urals. Zelenskyi is talking about the start of series production at the end of 2025 or beginning of 2026.
