Ukraine aims a drone blitz at Moscow as Russian missiles kill 10 in a Ukrainian village
Ukraine launched a massive drone strike against Russia, involving nearly 800 drones, while a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv killed at least 10 people. The conflict remains deadlocked as both sides escalate long-range aerial operations.
Why it matters
The intensification of drone warfare and civilian casualties highlights the ongoing stalemate and the increasing reliance on long-range technology in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ukrainian forces staged one of their biggest drone attacks on Russia since Moscow's invasion more than four years ago, firing almost 800 drones just two days after launching a similar salvo, officials said Tuesday (August 18, 2026).
Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike on a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region killed at least 10 people and wounded eight others as the barrage demolished homes, officials said Tuesday (August 18, 2026).
The warring countries are locked in an escalating duel of long-range aerial strikes. Fighting on the roughly 1,250-kilometre (780-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine is restricted by large numbers of drones and ground robots threatening troop movements, and neither side is making significant battlefield progress, analysts say.
Over the past year Ukraine has devised and deployed domestically produced long-range drones for strikes deep inside Russia. Its drone technology has impressed governments and defence manufacturers around the world.
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