KYIV - Ukraine endured a second consecutive day of intense Russian missile and drone strikes on Tuesday, with at least four people killed and significant damage inflicted on civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to retaliate for the ongoing attacks, which follow what is being described as Moscow's largest air assault since the beginning of the war.

In the wake of the deadly strikes, Zelensky made a public statement on social media, promising that Ukraine would respond to the attacks. "We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished," Zelensky declared. He described the situation as dire, with more than 90 aerial targets, including missiles and drones, aimed at civilians and infrastructure across the country. Despite the intense bombardment, Zelensky reiterated his determination to protect Ukraine and its citizens, emphasizing that the resilience of the Ukrainian people remains unshaken.

The second day of strikes saw two people killed when a hotel was "wiped out" in Kryvyi Rih, a central Ukrainian city and Zelensky's hometown. Regional officials confirmed that two more people died in drone attacks on the eastern city of Zaporizhzhia. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that several waves of drones were launched from Russian airfields, alongside the deployment of Tu-85 strategic bombers and MiG-31 supersonic interceptor aircraft.

Throughout the night, air raid alerts were issued across Kyiv and other regions, with Kyiv's air defense systems activated multiple times to intercept incoming missiles and drones. Eyewitnesses in Kyiv reported at least three rounds of explosions, highlighting the severity of the assault.

On Monday, Russia launched over 200 missiles and drones, killing at least seven people and causing widespread damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure. This attack, condemned by U.S. President Joe Biden as "outrageous," marked one of the most significant escalations in the conflict to date. Biden reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine's defense, stating, "Russia will never succeed in Ukraine, and the spirit of the Ukrainian people will never be broken."

The Washington-based think tank, Institute for the Study of War, provided a sobering analysis of the situation, noting that Moscow "likely lacks the defense-industrial capacity to sustain such massive strikes at a similar scale with regularity." Despite this, Russian military bloggers, including the pro-war collective known as Rybar, described the attacks as an "act of retaliation" for Ukraine's recent incursion into Russia's Kursk region. This incursion, the first such action since World War Two, has been a point of national pride for Ukraine and a source of embarrassment for Moscow.

The Kremlin, in response to the Kursk incursion, warned of further retaliation, although Kyiv continues to report advances in the region. Moscow insists it is effectively targeting Ukrainian troops in Kursk, but the situation on the ground remains fluid, with both sides claiming progress.

The Russian defense ministry asserted that Monday's strikes hit "all designated targets" in Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure, a claim that has not been independently verified. As the conflict drags on, the attacks have become part of a broader strategy to demoralize the Ukrainian population and pressure them into seeking a peace deal on Moscow's terms.

In Kryvyi Rih, local officials reported that two civilians might still be trapped under the rubble of the destroyed hotel, and five others were injured. The strike also damaged six shops, four high-rise buildings, and eight cars. In Zaporizhzhia, two additional civilians were killed, and four were injured, according to Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region. Fedorov highlighted the use of Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones by Russian forces in these attacks, a weapon that has become increasingly common in the conflict.

The strikes have prompted widespread international condemnation, with many viewing them as a blatant attempt to break Ukrainian morale ahead of the winter. Ukrainian officials have drawn parallels to previous Russian strategies, noting that similar efforts to knock out Ukraine's power grid during past winters were met with fierce resilience.

Within Russia, the war's impact is becoming more apparent to ordinary citizens. Reports from Moscow suggest that the war is now "getting closer" to the Russian people, both physically, with the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, and psychologically, as the economic and social costs of the conflict mount. Nina Krushcheva, a professor of International Affairs in Moscow, noted that the situation is increasingly tense, with goods becoming scarcer and prices rising. She also observed that President Vladimir Putin appears "slightly frozen" in his response to the Ukrainian incursion, an unusual demeanor for the Russian leader.

Despite the devastating attacks, Ukraine's military continues to defend its territory vigorously. Ukrainian air defenses reported shooting down five missiles and 60 drones during the overnight assault, a testament to the effectiveness of their efforts. However, Zelensky and his government have reiterated their calls for greater support from Western allies, particularly in the form of long-range weapons that could strike deeper into Russian territory. This, they argue, would reduce Russia's capacity to launch such large-scale aerial attacks.

The U.S., while the largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine, has been cautious in granting permission for the use of long-range weapons inside Russia, fearing further escalation. Other Western allies, including the UK, have shown more willingness to consider such measures, though discussions remain complicated and involve multiple countries.