A massive Russian attack on Ukraine this week damaged homes, businesses, and even a church. More than 600 drones and dozens of missiles rained down on Kyiv on Tuesday in one of Moscow’s biggest attacks of the war.
The bombardment comes as questions grow about how long Russia can sustain its costly war campaign.
“Dear friends, today at 4 a.m., a ballistic missile struck here,” pastor Anatoly Kalyuzhnyy said on an Instagram post hours after a huge explosion rocked his church.
Kalyuzhnyy told CBN News he’s amazed his church’s main worship center wasn’t completely destroyed.
“It’s a miracle,” said Kalyuzhnyy. “Honestly, when I saw our worship building, I was full of joy, because it’s a great miracle, because 15 meters from my worship center, was a big explosion.”
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On Tuesday, Russia unleashed 656 drones and 73 missiles in one of the largest aerial assaults of the war, striking 29 locations across Kyiv.
Among the targets: Pastor Kalyuzhnyy’s New Life Church. A missile slammed into the church complex, heavily damaging the Sunday school building, a recreation area for teenagers, and several church offices.
“Everything is destroyed,” said Kalyuzhnyy. “Everything is destroyed. No windows.”
The attack was the third massive Russian bombardment of Kyiv in less than three weeks, killing 22 civilians and injuring 138 others.
Ukraine responded Wednesday by hitting President Putin’s hometown in St. Petersburg with hundreds of drones.
The Russian barrage comes as President Zelenskyy asks the Trump administration for more Patriot interceptors, warning Ukraine is running low on the only air defense system capable of stopping Russia’s ballistic missiles.
Despite the massive aerial assault, some analysts say Russia’s military continues to face challenges on the battlefield.
A new report claims that, for the first time since October 2023, Russian forces lost more territory than they captured.
“They are not gaining territory,” claimed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “Ukraine has been able to strike, as you’ve seen, increasingly deep into Russian territory on strategic energy and other targets.”
And Russia’s battlefield losses continue to mount.
“They have losses, 30,000-35,000 soldiers, Russian soldiers, per month. It is a huge number of losses,” claimed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Canada’s prime minister added, “They’re losing troops faster than they can replace them.”
As casualties rise, Moscow is searching for new ways to fill its ranks, through economic incentives for new recruits at home and by seeking foreign fighters from Africa and Central Asia.
The recruitment push comes as reports suggest some Russian officials are warning Putin that the war is placing a growing strain on the country’s economy.
“Already now, a significant number of their regions are in a state of bankruptcy, and Putin is leading Russia toward bankruptcy,” said Zelenskyy.
That has Democrats urging Republicans and the Trump administration to put the squeeze on Moscow.
“We’ve had a bipartisan sanctions bill sitting on the Senate floor for a year and a half that would tighten the screws on the Russian economy, make it harder for them to fund the war,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT).
Back at Pastor Kalyuzhnyy’s church in Kyiv, the cleanup is already underway following Tuesday’s attack.
Now well into its fifth year, the war has failed to stop his congregation from carrying on its ministry.
“From the first day of the war until now, we did not miss any church service. Many people have left Kyiv city, but our church has been very active during all of this time,” said Kalyuzhnyy.
