Russia launched almost 400 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, the largest attack in weeks, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. The onslaught continued into daylight as dozens of drones targeted the capital Kyiv, killing six people and injuring at least 46 across the country.

The attack involved Iranian-designed Shahed drones, along with 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles hitting at least 10 locations, according to Ukraine's air force. Daytime strikes injured 13 people including three children in the central city of Dnipro, while another attack hit an apartment block in Lviv near the Polish border, injuring 13 people and setting fire to the 17th-century St. Andrew's Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In Ivano-Frankivsk, the attack damaged maternity hospitals and about 10 apartment buildings, killing two people including a 6-year-old child.

What the Left Is Saying

Ukrainian officials and supporters frame Russia's attacks as brutal assaults on civilian infrastructure that violate international norms. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia targeted at least seven cities in what appears to be an attempt to overwhelm air defenses ahead of ground operations.

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said Russian troops have made simultaneous attempts to break through defensive lines in several strategic areas. 'The occupiers are attempting to bring up new units and are preparing to continue attacks,' Syrskyi said Monday on Telegram, adding that Ukraine had deployed reinforcements to counter the assaults.

Progressive analysts and Democratic allies have called for continued U.S. support for Ukraine's defense, arguing that Russian aggression poses a threat to European security and international order. They note that U.S.-brokered ceasefire talks have brought no respite, with Russia rejecting Ukraine's offer of a ceasefire.

What the Right Is Saying

Conservative critics have questioned whether continued military funding for Ukraine serves U.S. interests, arguing that the conflict has reached a stalemate with no clear path to victory. Some Republicans have called for diplomatic solutions rather than indefinite military assistance.

Russian state media has portrayed the attacks as legitimate military operations against Ukrainian military targets, dismissing civilian casualty reports as Kyiv exaggerating damages. The Kremlin has framed its spring offensive as a necessary response to what it calls Western escalation supporting Ukraine.

Some conservative commentators have argued that the United States should focus on its own border security and domestic priorities rather than funding a protracted foreign conflict. They note that Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea seized in 2014, and question whether additional aid will change the battlefield dynamics.

What the Numbers Show

Russia launched 619 attacks over four days along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line. Moscow fired almost 400 drones overnight, its biggest attack in weeks, plus 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian forces repelled initial assaults near Lyman in the Donetsk region, destroying Russian columns and inflicting significant losses in armored vehicles and personnel. The situation along the front line is described as 'tense but not critical' by one Ukrainian soldier.

Russia occupies approximately 20% of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean Peninsula annexed in 2014. The Institute for the Study of War assesses that Russia's spring-summer offensive is now underway, with Moscow moving heavy equipment and additional troops to the front line since March 17.

Ukraine has developed advanced drone technology to compensate for infantry shortages, and has used long-range drones to hit Russian support areas. Russia reported intercepting 55 Ukrainian drones overnight over its territory, annexed Crimea, and the Black Sea.

The Bottom Line

The scale of Russia's drone and missile attack, combined with intensified ground offensives along the front line, signals what analysts describe as the start of an anticipated spring offensive. Ukraine faces a larger Russian army with more resources, though defenders have developed advanced drone tactics to counter repeated assaults.

The Institute for the Study of War says Russia's spring-summer offensive is now underway. Ukrainian forces are bracing for further attacks as weather improves, with the conflict now in its fifth year. International attention has increasingly shifted to the Middle East, even as the war in Ukraine continues with no diplomatic breakthrough in sight.