Russia launched intensive missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight from Wednesday into Thursday, injuring dozens of people and damaging infrastructure in eight regions, as the Ukrainian government prepares a 2027 budget allocating about two-thirds of its spending to defense and security.
Casualties and damage reported across Ukraine
The Ukrainian Air Force said the attack involved Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and about 160 drones. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 20 people were injured in the capital, while six were injured in Odesa and three in Zaporizhzhia, where a steel plant owned by Metinvest was targeted for the fourth time in a month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks struck energy facilities in the Sumy and Odesa regions. A building housing equipment belonging to telecommunications company Kyivstar was also damaged in the Kyiv region, while the company said its services remained operational and none of its employees were injured.
In western Ukraine, attacks near the Polish border prompted Warsaw to deploy warplanes, while air-raid sirens sounded in eastern Poland and flights were temporarily suspended at Rzeszow and Lublin airports. The Polish military said it had detected no airspace violation before the aircraft ended their operations and both airports reopened. Meanwhile, Ukraine targeted an oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region northeast of Moscow, according to Zelenskyy.
Ukraine raises defense spending for 2027
The regional governor said a fire broke out at the refinery before being brought under control, as attacks on energy facilities continued on both sides. Financially, Ukraine plans to spend 4.9 trillion hryvnias, equivalent to 109 billion dollars, on defense and security in 2027.
Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the draft budget was prepared as the war continues and security and defense needs remain high. Kyiv has received nearly 200 billion dollars in financing from its foreign partners since the war began, in addition to military aid worth billions of dollars.
Spending comparison and mounting pressure on Russia
Russia, meanwhile, plans to spend about 13.6 trillion rubles, or 161 billion dollars, on defense in 2027, equivalent to nearly 30% of its budget. The escalation came after the US House of Representatives passed broad sanctions and tariff legislation aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine and sent it to President Donald Trump for signing.
Zelenskyy welcomed the bill, describing it as a powerful tool for pressuring Moscow, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any additional US sanctions would complicate efforts to reach a peaceful settlement.
