Russia’s biggest drone strike in weeks hits Ukrainian infrastructure.

According to officials, Russia launched a massive drone attack early on Friday that destroyed residential and commercial buildings in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, and damaged vital infrastructure in the country’s west and south.

OdesaThe air force claimed to have shot down 24 of the 40 “Shahed” drones that Russia had launched, making this the most significant drone attack in recent weeks. The targets of the attack were the regions of Lviv on Ukraine’s western border with Poland, Odesa and Kherson in the south, and Kharkiv in the northeast.

The Air Force said that one X-59 missile was also shot down. “We understand that Russian terrorists will attempt to cause more harm as winter draws near. Regarding the attack, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared, “We will respond to the enemy,” adding that air defenses had been activated in ten different regions.

According to officials, Ukraine is ready for a second winter of Russian airstrikes on its energy infrastructure, which they warn is more susceptible than it was the previous year due to a lack of spare parts and excess capacity.

According to the Air Force, the most recent drones were launched in multiple waves and traveled in small groups to various locations. In certain areas, air alerts persisted through the night for several hours.

Maksym Kozytskiy, the governor of Lviv, did not specify the damage the five strikes on an infrastructure facility during the attacks on his region caused. He said there were no injuries.

A military facility was struck in the neighboring region of Ivano-Frankivsk, according to Governor Svitlana Onishchuk.

The regional governor of Odesa, Oleh Kiper, announced an attack on a southern infrastructure facility.

The governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Synehubov, reported that drones had struck civilian infrastructure and started fires in and around the city. According to him, acute stress caused eight people—two of whom were children—to need medical attention.

According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, the attack on Kharkiv caused damage to eight private residences, a three-story building, multiple cars, and an auto repair shop.