In the early morning of September 20, 2025, intensive explosions sounded over Ukraine, and air defense sirens stayed up all night. From Odessa to Kharkiv, the whole territory is shrouded in the roar of missiles and drones.
According to the U.S. military's flight trajectory map, 579 Shahid drones passed the border and 40 missiles precisely penetrated the defense line.This was not a conventional conflict, but a "air storm" with technology and quantity.
At this crucial moment, U.S. President Trump suddenly shouted to China, hoping it would "make a hand" to mediate the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. A question arose: the Russian-Ukrainian war is growing, why is Trump looking at Beijing at this time?
Mixed strikes reveal the bottom line: Russian army firepower, not only precision, but more quantity
Different from the past, the Russian air strike this time is no longer a "single-point blasting", but a "net spread all over the sky." From a tactical perspective, this is a typical "hybrid saturation strike", with high-precision missiles taking the lead, followed by suicide drones, forming a three-dimensional attack with staggered suppression of "spear tips" and "bee swarms".
In terms of heavy missiles, the "Iskander-M" ballistic missile and Kh-101 cruise missile play the leading role. They are fast, have strange trajectories and difficult to intercept, especially the "iskander-M", which is suspected by the outside world to have technical intersection with the North Korean missile system. This "secret connection" has attracted international attention. Their task is very clear: hitting the key, hitting the depths, and hitting once is enough.
And in the low-air, it is Iran-made "Shahid-136". such a drone called "Iran's small motorcycle" looks unpleasant, but rather in "cheap quantity".
With hundreds of aircraft released at a time, Ukraine's air defense system is simply too busy. Just like using a nail worth 2 yuan to consume a hammer worth 20 yuan, the more the Ukrainian army blocks, the faster the ammunition is consumed, and the easier it is to expose gaps in the defense line.
From the effect point of view, this "high-low collocation" approach is not new, but this is an actual combat exercise for the Russian army to push it to the extreme. Its purpose is not only to destroy several factories or airports, but more like a "psychological war" to let the enemy know that it cannot be prevented, stopped or repaired.
NASA satellite data shows that in just a few hours, dozens of new high-temperature ignition points have been added in Ukraine. Although the Ukrainian army claimed to have shot down 583 targets, comparing the fire spots on satellite images with photos of explosions in various places, this number is obviously different from the actual degree of damage. This also confirms a reality from the side: in the face of the "swarm", the Ukrainian air defense system is on the verge of "running out of ammunition and reinforcement".
Under the ruins is not only steel, but also Ukraine's confidence
The heaviest point of the airstrike was concentrated in Dnipro, where Soviet-era military sites such as the Southern Machinery Factory and the Pressure Machinery Factory remained.
Many of these factories are underground, thick steel concrete that even precision missiles can not be destroyed at once, so the Russian army chose to “explode repeatedly”. once is not enough? it came twice or three times. The goal is not to destroy the building, but to undermine the ability to repair, consume professional workers, and even weaken Ukraine’s technological reserves.
But the key is not only military.The agricultural enterprises around Kiev, the civilian factories in Polymers, too, have not survived.These are not strategic targets, but frequent shots, bringing real turmoil to the lives of ordinary people.
Early morning explosions, water-out communities, forced displaced families – these images are no longer unfamiliar in Ukraine.
Zelensky spoke quickly after the attack, accusing the Russian military of "deliberately attacking civilians" and calling on the international community to increase aid, but the confidence of the Ukrainian people is being consumed in one airstrike.
The more realistic problem is that the effectiveness of air defense systems is reaching its limit. Although the Ukrainian army repeatedly claimed "successful interception", when explosions appeared over the city again and again, this "claim" became paler and paler.
Ukraine does not want to counteract, nor is it unable, but in the face of this "number stack you" game, the advanced system will also feel hard. Western aid although continues, but the frequency and strength is far less than last year. The shortage of ammunition, weakness of air defense, make Ukraine in this lasting war, seem more and more passive.
Trump shouted to China: Behind the rhetoric of peace is the "borrowing power" on the game board.
Just as the whole of Ukraine suffered serious injuries, Trump suddenly appeared and “cried” to China, saying he “believes that China is committed to resolving the Ukrainian crisis” and stressed that he “does not want to profit from the war”.
Anyone familiar with the Trump style knows that the president is best at "putting the pot + packaging".In the Russian-Ukrainian issue, he does not want to carry on the burden of continuing military aid, but hopes to shape his own image of "wishing for peace" by pulling China down the water and trying to push the mediation responsibility to others.
But the question is, will China really take this “hot potato”?
From China’s position over the past three years, Beijing has always advocated “political settlement, peaceful dialogue”. neither supports the escalation of conflict nor provides offensive weapons to any side.
The delicate relationship between China, the United States and Russia determines that China cannot completely move closer to Russia, but it will not easily compromise under the pressure of the United States. For example, although China does not publicly support Russia's military actions, it has not joined the sanctions against Russia.
More importantly, China is indeed holding some cards that are enough to “change the battle scene”, such as military technology, alternative markets, etc. But China is not easy to do it, instead of always keeping the strategy vague and diplomatic flexibility, the purpose is to avoid being involved in this “bad.”
Trump's scream was actually a test of this "ambiguous gesture."He wanted to see if China was willing to take the initiative of "departure" mediation, and even hoped that China could become a "backpot" to provide exports for the United States to reduce its investment in Ukraine.
The core of the problem is actually not who will mediate, but NATO's continued military aid to Ukraine. As long as this assistance continues, the war cannot be extinguished. Trump may have overestimated his personal influence and underestimated the entanglement of international interests behind this war.
In war the truth is seen, peace cannot be said by mouth.
This raid, which brought to Ukraine not only urban ruins, but also a heavy blow to strategic confidence. Russian military missiles and drones tell the world that long-range strikes have become the norm, saturated attacks or will become the standard formula for future wars.
Trump's "peace call" is more like a diplomatic show in an election campaign, with a loud voice and limited weight.
This war has long been not a complaint between Russia and Ukraine, its every escalation, every turn, involves the nerves of the world's great powers. and China, as a great country that always adheres to peaceful development, faces the "mediation expectations" from the West, both alert and stable.
True peace, not by shouting slogans, not by big powers, but by resolving the security anxiety and conflict of interests behind it.
The war is still ongoing, and peace is still on the way.The question is who is willing to really act for this path, and not just stay in the crowd of the right to speak.
The Russian Army deployed 40 missiles and 579 drones.
2025-09-20 22:41 · See the news