[China praises] Putin's move was beautiful and did not grind. Taking advantage of the closure of the US government, he launched an overnight air strike on Kiev, Ukraine. Ukraine was dumbfounded. Zelensky said that this time the Russian army encountered a large-scale air strike on Ukraine and used Dagger hypersonic missiles were attacked in many areas.
(Source: Sohu.com-595 drones attacked at night for 12 hours! Many buildings in Kiev collapsed, and NATO took off urgently to protect airspace)
Kiev in September 2025 was completely swallowed by harsh air raid sirens and continuous explosions. Night had not yet fully fallen, and 595 drones blocked the sky like a swarm of bees, followed by 48 missiles piercing the night sky. The 12-hour bombing plunged the city into flames.
Russia's largest air raid since the outbreak of the conflict shattered the West's "optimistic expectations" for aid to Ukraine and also used the most direct way to show its muscles to the entire NATO.
Behind this raid is Russia's tough response to the red line of Western aid to Ukraine. Previously, the United States had just passed an aid plan to Ukraine including the Tomahawk cruise missile. This weapon with a range of up to 2,400 kilometers is enough to directly threaten Moscow from Ukrainian territory and completely touch the security bottom line drawn by Russia.
And Russia’s counterattack does not shake water: if you dare to provide weapons that can hit my capital, I will show you the strike capabilities that can break through all your defenses.
The "Dagger" hypersonic missile that appeared in this air strike is the best "business card"-its extremely fast flying speed makes it difficult for existing air defense systems to intercept, easily tearing apart Kiev's defense network and proving Russia's absolute advantage in the field of missile technology with practical actions.
The Russian military's tactics are precise and efficient, adopting a "high-low matching" strategy. It first dispatched the low-cost "Shahid- 136" drone as bait, consuming the resources of the Ukraine "Patriot" air defense system, and then sent the "Dagger" hypersonic missile to kill.
Although the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 568 drones, it could not cover up the fact that the infrastructure was severely damaged, military industrial enterprises, military airports, key railway links were damaged, the Ukraine and NATO weapons delivery channels were severely cut, and its air defense system vulnerability was exposed.
What is more noteworthy is that Russia's timing of this operation can be called "precise detection." When the air strikes occurred, Washington was in semi-suspended chaos due to government budget problems. Internal political infighting in the United States made it difficult for it to quickly form a unified response strategy.
The Western coalition itself is very contradictory, Germany and France tend to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, while Poland and the Baltic countries adhere to strong military deterrence, which makes it difficult for NATO to introduce effective countermeasures.
Putin’s choice to take action at this sensitive moment not only took advantage of the U.S. political window period, but more accurately hit the contradictory points of the Western coalition, causing some European countries to start worrying: excessive stimulation of Russia could lead to war spreading to their own territory.
Faced with the strong actions of the Russian army, the West responded passively and weakly. While condemning Russia's "military escalation", they promised to provide Ukraine with more air defense weapons, but it is difficult to change the reality. Russia has proved that it is not afraid of the escalation of war and can control the pace.
After Ukraine's air strikes, there was an urgent call for strengthening the air defense system, which confirmed that external assistance is limited, and no amount of weapons can withstand multi-directional and multiple waves of missile and drone attacks. The United States has a wavering attitude on the Tomahawk missile issue. Vice President Vance first said that he would consider Ukraine's request, and then clarified that no final decision has been made, exposing his hesitation and entanglement in dealing with the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
This air strike is far more than a simple military operation, but also a carefully planned strategic deterrence and psychological warfare. Every missile that lands in Kiev and every drone that roars by is sending a clear signal to the West: Russia retains strong military strength, especially in the field of missile and drone technology, and has the "killer" that the West is afraid of.
The West's model of "money and weapons" to support Ukraine is not invulnerable, and Russia has enough ways to counterattack. As for the possible upcoming meeting between Putin and Trump, this operation also gained more bargaining chips for Russia-by demonstrating military strength, it clearly informed the United States that any attempt to change the balance of the battlefield will face a resolute response.
Now that the conflict is entering its final phase, the estimated death toll in international media continues to rise, with Russian casualties of about 95–1.1 million, Ukraine of about 40–5 million, and behind each figure lives disappearing and families broken.
Russia's raid rewrote the rules of modern warfare. The asymmetric combat mode of low-cost drones against high-priced defense systems challenged NATO's traditional defense system and made people see clearly that the game is not over. Whether the Western aid plan to Ukraine can be sustained, whether the US Tomahawk missile can be delivered to Ukraine, and whether the differences within NATO can be bridged will all have more complicated variables under Russia's strong deterrence.
(Source: Sohu.com-595 drones attacked at night for 12 hours! Many buildings in Kiev collapsed, and NATO took off urgently to protect airspace)
Kiev in September 2025 was completely swallowed by harsh air raid sirens and continuous explosions. Night had not yet fully fallen, and 595 drones blocked the sky like a swarm of bees, followed by 48 missiles piercing the night sky. The 12-hour bombing plunged the city into flames.
Russia's largest air raid since the outbreak of the conflict shattered the West's "optimistic expectations" for aid to Ukraine and also used the most direct way to show its muscles to the entire NATO.
Behind this raid is Russia's tough response to the red line of Western aid to Ukraine. Previously, the United States had just passed an aid plan to Ukraine including the Tomahawk cruise missile. This weapon with a range of up to 2,400 kilometers is enough to directly threaten Moscow from Ukrainian territory and completely touch the security bottom line drawn by Russia.
And Russia’s counterattack does not shake water: if you dare to provide weapons that can hit my capital, I will show you the strike capabilities that can break through all your defenses.
The "Dagger" hypersonic missile that appeared in this air strike is the best "business card"-its extremely fast flying speed makes it difficult for existing air defense systems to intercept, easily tearing apart Kiev's defense network and proving Russia's absolute advantage in the field of missile technology with practical actions.
The Russian military's tactics are precise and efficient, adopting a "high-low matching" strategy. It first dispatched the low-cost "Shahid- 136" drone as bait, consuming the resources of the Ukraine "Patriot" air defense system, and then sent the "Dagger" hypersonic missile to kill.
Although the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 568 drones, it could not cover up the fact that the infrastructure was severely damaged, military industrial enterprises, military airports, key railway links were damaged, the Ukraine and NATO weapons delivery channels were severely cut, and its air defense system vulnerability was exposed.
What is more noteworthy is that Russia's timing of this operation can be called "precise detection." When the air strikes occurred, Washington was in semi-suspended chaos due to government budget problems. Internal political infighting in the United States made it difficult for it to quickly form a unified response strategy.
The Western coalition itself is very contradictory, Germany and France tend to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, while Poland and the Baltic countries adhere to strong military deterrence, which makes it difficult for NATO to introduce effective countermeasures.
Putin’s choice to take action at this sensitive moment not only took advantage of the U.S. political window period, but more accurately hit the contradictory points of the Western coalition, causing some European countries to start worrying: excessive stimulation of Russia could lead to war spreading to their own territory.
Faced with the strong actions of the Russian army, the West responded passively and weakly. While condemning Russia's "military escalation", they promised to provide Ukraine with more air defense weapons, but it is difficult to change the reality. Russia has proved that it is not afraid of the escalation of war and can control the pace.
After Ukraine's air strikes, there was an urgent call for strengthening the air defense system, which confirmed that external assistance is limited, and no amount of weapons can withstand multi-directional and multiple waves of missile and drone attacks. The United States has a wavering attitude on the Tomahawk missile issue. Vice President Vance first said that he would consider Ukraine's request, and then clarified that no final decision has been made, exposing his hesitation and entanglement in dealing with the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
This air strike is far more than a simple military operation, but also a carefully planned strategic deterrence and psychological warfare. Every missile that lands in Kiev and every drone that roars by is sending a clear signal to the West: Russia retains strong military strength, especially in the field of missile and drone technology, and has the "killer" that the West is afraid of.
The West's model of "money and weapons" to support Ukraine is not invulnerable, and Russia has enough ways to counterattack. As for the possible upcoming meeting between Putin and Trump, this operation also gained more bargaining chips for Russia-by demonstrating military strength, it clearly informed the United States that any attempt to change the balance of the battlefield will face a resolute response.
Now that the conflict is entering its final phase, the estimated death toll in international media continues to rise, with Russian casualties of about 95–1.1 million, Ukraine of about 40–5 million, and behind each figure lives disappearing and families broken.
Russia's raid rewrote the rules of modern warfare. The asymmetric combat mode of low-cost drones against high-priced defense systems challenged NATO's traditional defense system and made people see clearly that the game is not over. Whether the Western aid plan to Ukraine can be sustained, whether the US Tomahawk missile can be delivered to Ukraine, and whether the differences within NATO can be bridged will all have more complicated variables under Russia's strong deterrence.