Russian strikes on Ukraine are likely about to get worse as Kremlin stockpiles weapons, analyst says

September 30, 2026 / 11:59 AM EDT / CBS News

Kyiv — A daytime Russian attack on Ukraine Monday damaged civilian buildings and wounded more than 100 people across the country, according to local authorities.

A drone exploded into the National Academy of Sciences in the heart of Kyiv. Hours later, a second drone damaged a private medical clinic just blocks away. In Dnipro, Ukraine's fourth-largest city, emergency crews rushed to evacuate wounded civilians from a business center also hit in broad daylight.

And yet, the attack could have been much worse.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia used 124 attack drones from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday — much fewer than in previous barrages this year, which have regularly included more than 500 drones and 50 missiles within the same time frame.

Analysts and Ukrainian officials told CBS News that Russia is stockpiling weapons so that it can launch intensified late-autumn and winter barrages.

During Monday's attack, Russia used primarily "jet-powered drones," a new model of long-range strike drones that fly faster and are harder to intercept. Ukraine's Air Force said that 86 of the 124 drones used in the attack were jet-powered.

Since Russia began deploying the…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/