Russia Launches Largest Drone Attack of War, Key Ukrainian Government Building Set on Fire

Russia launched its largest air attack of its conflict with Ukraine overnight into Sunday, launching 810 drones and four ballistic missiles and setting a main government building on fire.

The Details: Residential buildings were also struck, and at least three people were killed, including an infant, according to Ukrainian officials. The Cabinet of Ministers, which houses the office of the Prime Minister of Ukraine and other ministries, was hit for the first time during the conflict. The building is located near other government buildings, including the parliament and President Zelenskyy’s office.

For Context: Russia’s drone attacks on Ukraine have escalated in recent months. On July 4, it launched 539 drones, and on July 9, it launched 741. Both attacks were the largest drone attacks yet at the time. More recently, President Trump met with Russian President Putin in Alaska to discuss bilateral relations and moving toward an end to the conflict in Ukraine. Last week, Putin met with many heads of state in China, including Chinese President Xi and Indian President Modi, at an annual Eurasian geopolitical summit. During Putin’s visit to China, the two nations signed a long-deliberated, major pipeline deal that will significantly boost Russian gas exports to China.

How The Media Covered It: As of Sunday morning, the story was mostly covered by outlets from the left and center. Outlets across the spectrum framed the government building being hit and the presumed intent of the Russian attack differently. The Telegraph (Lean Right bias) wrote that Russia “bombed” the building, and CNN (Lean Left) said it struck it. Reuters (Center) said the building was set “ablaze” as a result of the attack.

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