The Ukrainian Air Force Command reported that Russian forces carried out their most extensive assault of the war on the night of July 9, deploying 728 drones of multiple models along with seven cruise missiles and six Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles against Ukraine.
Lutsk emerged as the primary focus of the offensive. Ukrainian defenses successfully intercepted 711 drones and all seven cruise missiles, though impacts occurred at four separate sites.
According to Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk, the city endured its most intense bombardment since the conflict began. The strikes triggered fires at a garage cooperative and a local industrial facility, with no immediate reports of casualties.
Additional drone strikes targeted Brovary district near Kyiv, leaving one civilian wounded.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed attacks across 11 regions: Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolayiv, Kirovograd, and Cherkasy among them.
This assault surpassed Russia's previous record attack on July 4, which involved 539 drones.