41 Ballistic Missiles, 125 Drones: 4 Reasons Why Russia Launched Its Biggest Attack Against Ukraine Now

Published 20 July 2026 · world

41 Ballistic Missiles, 125 Drones: 4 Reasons Why Russia Launched Its Biggest Attack Against Ukraine Now Written By Last Updated: July 20, 2026, 16:20 IST

41 Ballistic Missiles, 125 Drones: 4 Reasons Why Russia Launched Its Biggest Attack Against Ukraine Now Written By Last Updated: July 20, 2026, 16:20 IST The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the strikes targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure, including drone production plants, logistics centers, and fuel depots Rapid Read A firefighting helicopter drops water over the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region. Photo: REUTERS Russia on Sunday launched one of its largest and heaviest ballistic missile and drone assaults against Ukraine in a brutal, five-hour overnight barrage targeting Kyiv and other cities. The attack involved around 41 ballistic missiles (including Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles) and over 125 attack drones, which heavily pounded at least six districts of the capital. Why now? News18 explains the four reasons. The attack was primarily focused on Kyiv, though strikes and debris were recorded in multiple regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa. Across the country, at least six people were killed and dozens were injured. Falling debris and direct strikes caused fires and severe destruction to apartment buildings, supermarkets, a shopping center, and an underground pedestrian passage at a metro station. Ukrainian forces successfully intercepted a large number of the drones (108 out of 125) and almost half of the ballistic missiles (18 downed).

THE DIPLOMATIC CONTEXT Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterised the raid as one of the most massive ballistic attacks the capital has endured since the full-scale invasion began, and reiterated urgent appeals to Western allies for more air defense interceptors. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the strikes targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure, including drone production plants, logistics centers, and fuel depots. This massive bombardment closely followed a massive, coordinated Ukrainian drone assault that hit deep into Russian territory, targeting e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions. Ukrainian naval and maritime forces also struck several Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea in an effort to disrupt Russia’s supply lines. TIMING AND SCALE: 4 REASONS WHY Security analysts and military reports point to four distinct reasons for the timing and scale of this specific assault 1. Exploiting Critical Air Defence Shortages: Ukraine is currently facing a drastic shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles, which are the only Western-supplied weapons capable of stopping heavy ballistic strikes. Knowing that Ukraine must ration its remaining ammunition, Russia paired 41 heavy missiles with a staggering 125 drones. This intentionally overloaded the tracking radars, causing Ukraine’s defense grid to fail to stop more than half of the incoming ballistic threats, say experts.