Massive Russian Drone Attacks Kill 8, Hit Ukraine UNESCO Site
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's "absolute depravity" after massive drone attacks on Ukraine killed at least 8 people and severely damaged a UNESCO heritage site in Lviv. Russia reportedly fired nearly 1,000 drones in 24 hours, unleashing one of its biggest-ever daytime assaults, also hitting a maternity hospital in Ivano-Frankivsk.
On March 24, 2026, Russia launched one of the largest aerial assaults of the full-scale war against Ukraine, firing nearly 1,000 attack drones over a 24-hour period. The massive daytime drone attack targeted western Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, where a UNESCO World Heritage site was damaged. The assault represented a rare large-scale daytime operation following overnight strikes, with drones hitting multiple regions across Ukraine.
The attack on Lviv occurred around 4:20 p.m. local time, striking the historic city center and damaging the 16th-17th century Bernardine monastery (also referred to as St. Andrew's Church), which is part of the UNESCO-listed "Historic Centre of Lviv." The drone strike caused fires at the monastery and nearby residential buildings. Ukrainian officials reported 13 to 32 people injured in Lviv, with at least 17 casualties confirmed by regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi, though no deaths were reported specifically in Lviv from this wave.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's "absolute depravity" following the attacks. The broader assault across Ukraine resulted in 6-7 fatalities and 46-55 injuries nationwide. In Ivano-Frankivsk, two people were killed and four injured, including a 6-year-old child, with maternity hospitals and 10 residential buildings damaged. Dnipro reported 13 injured, including three children. The attacks targeted civilian infrastructure across multiple regions in what appeared to be an effort to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.
Ukrainian officials described the assault as one of the largest aerial attacks of the war, with Russia employing hundreds of Shahed-type kamikaze drones alongside missiles. The daytime nature of the attack was unusual, coming after overnight strikes. Air defenses were active throughout western Ukraine, with explosions and drones audible in multiple cities. The damage to the UNESCO site in Lviv drew particular international condemnation as an attack on cultural heritage.
The assault occurred amid signs of Russia's spring offensive, with the massive drone wave targeting energy infrastructure and civilian areas across western and central Ukraine. Ukrainian forces worked to intercept the drones, but the scale of the attack overwhelmed defenses in some areas. The attacks continued Russia's pattern of targeting civilian infrastructure during winter months to disrupt heating and electricity supplies, though this particular assault was notable for its daytime timing and focus on western Ukrainian cities that had previously been less frequently targeted.
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