Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has issued a strong appeal to the international community, calling for severe new sanctions against Moscow after Russia carried out what Kyiv says is its largest drone assault since the start of the full-scale war.
The overnight attack saw dozens of drones launched by Russia, targeting multiple Ukrainian cities in a coordinated and relentless air offensive. The scale and intensity of the assault have stunned many in Ukraine and beyond, with Zelenskiy calling the attack a “calculated escalation” designed to test Ukraine’s air defenses and the West’s resolve.
Reacting to the strike, President Zelenskiy urged allied nations to go beyond current restrictions and enact what he called “biting sanctions”. He specifically emphasized secondary sanctions—penalties targeting countries and companies that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions, especially in the energy and finance sectors.
“The world must not allow Russia to continue funding this war through energy exports,” Zelenskiy said in a statement from Kyiv. “It’s not enough to condemn this terror. We need real, painful economic consequences for the Kremlin.”
He called on G7 and EU nations to tighten enforcement of existing sanctions and to clamp down on Russian oil revenues, which remain a major source of funding for Moscow’s military operations. Zelenskiy also urged measures to close loopholes in maritime shipping and oil price caps that allow Russian crude to reach global markets.
The drone barrage reportedly involved Iranian-made Shahed drones, which Russia has used extensively in recent months. Ukrainian air defense units intercepted many of the drones, but some managed to reach their targets, causing damage to infrastructure and prompting air raid alerts across several regions.
While exact casualty figures and damage assessments are still being compiled, early reports indicate that critical civilian infrastructure was hit in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro. Emergency services scrambled to contain fires and restore power in affected areas.
This latest assault is part of a growing trend in Russia’s war tactics mass drone and missile attacks launched with increasing frequency. Ukrainian officials say these strikes are not only aimed at military objectives but also intended to terrorize civilians, weaken morale, and strain Ukraine’s Western-supplied defense systems.
The attack comes just days after Russia warned of “consequences” for recent Ukrainian operations targeting Russian refineries and depots.
The unprecedented scale of the drone assault places new pressure on Ukraine’s Western allies, particularly the European Union and the United States, to respond decisively. While both have provided financial aid and air defense systems, including Patriot missiles, Zelenskiy is pressing for a coordinated sanctions upgrade to deter future strikes.
Some European leaders have already voiced support for tougher measures, but divisions remain within the bloc over how far to go especially on sanctioning third-party nations or companies facilitating Russian exports.
As Ukraine braces for further attacks and continues its defense, President Zelenskiy’s call signals a strategic shift away from simply requesting weapons and toward demanding that the global economic system be mobilized as a tool of resistance.
With Moscow showing no sign of slowing its campaign and the battlefield becoming increasingly dependent on technology and drones, the international response to this latest offensive could shape the next phase of the war both in the skies and at the negotiating table.