Geoff Bennett:

Russia launched massive overnight attacks across Ukraine, but focused again on the capital, Kyiv. Nationwide, at least 22 people were killed, more than 130 wounded.

Russia has stepped up the size and pace of its attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months.

But, as Nick Schifrin tells us, on the battlefront, Ukraine is trying to turn the tide.

Nick Schifrin:

This morning in Kyiv, the attack Ukraine had feared. Russia rained down a massive strike, leading to thunderous explosions. Across several cities, more than 70 missiles and 650 drones lit up the predawn sky.

By day, walls became windows into what used to be a family's home, a child's drawings thrown by a direct Russian strike into their parents' bedroom, the kitchen and a family's memories ruined.

In this building, at least three people died. And across Kyiv, the attack sparked fires in the middle of residential neighborhoods, entire apartment buildings battered and blackened, a scene that residents called hell; 35-year-old Olha Mudra pointed to her destroyed apartment and her daughter, saved by her mother's protection.

Olha Mudra, Kyiv, Ukraine, Resident (through interpreter):

We heard a sound, and then everything was in smoke. We crouched down. I covered my daughter. We couldn't understand if it was the apocalypse or what.

Nick Schifrin:

Olena Dniprovska left shell-shocked, she and her cat in need of comfort.

Olena Dniprovska, Kyiv, Ukraine, Resident (through interpreter):

Now I have nowhere to live. The apartment is completely destroyed, no doors, no windows, no balcony. The exit is right from the room onto the street.

Nick Schifrin:

The attacks followed more than a week of Russian threats that diplomats and foreigners should flee Kyiv. And, in recent weeks, Russia has expanded its punishment of Ukraine's cities, unleashing some of the war's largest strikes.

Ukraine does not have enough Western air defense, including American Patriots, to protect its cities and critical infrastructure, leading to a renewed request tonight from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter):

All partners together and everyone in Europe must continue working to ensure Ukraine receives air defense missiles, the necessary systems, vital intelligence, and other resources that help save lives.

Nick Schifrin:

But despite the bombardment, Ukraine now maintains frontline momentum. For the first time since 2023, the Institute for the Study of War says Ukraine is now seizing more territory, in blue, than it's losing. That is in part about tactical frontline gains.

But it's also a product of a tripling since last fall of long-range drone strikes into Russia, from 750 to more than 2,000. Many have targeted Russian energy production, interrupting as much as one-quarter of Russian oil refining. President Zelenskyy told his nation today to expect another bad night tonight of Russian bombardment.

To discuss these Russian attacks and the state of the front line, I turn to retired U.S. Army Colonel Robert Hamilton, who joins us from Kyiv. He's now president of the Delphi Global Research Center.

Bob Hamilton, thanks very much. Welcome back to the "News Hour."

You're in Kyiv right now. You spent last night in the bomb shelter. You expect to spend tonight in the bomb shelter. Give us a sense of how it is. Give us a sense of the scale of these attacks.

Col. Robert Hamilton (Ret.):

As probably almost everybody here in Kyiv, I was in the shelter. People were in the shelters here last night from about 1.30 a.m. until around 8:00 or 8:30 a.m.

But awareness is very good, and that's why more people don't die. Because some of these missiles, the flight times are fairly short, and the reaction time is therefore fairly short. But the fact that people have such good awareness of what's coming at them has allowed Ukrainians to -- the casualty numbers to stay lower than they otherwise would be.

Nick Schifrin:

Both sides are focusing on long-range attacks, as we have been talking about, Russian missiles, Russian drones hitting Ukrainian cities. But Ukraine is launching drones into Russia, especially Russian energy targets.

But what's the difference between those two campaigns?

Col. Robert Hamilton (Ret.):

Russia targets almost exclusively civilians.

Ukrainian long-range strike campaign is aimed really at two main things, oil infrastructure, oil and gas infrastructure, especially refining capacity and export capacity. The Ukrainians are hitting refineries. They're hitting export terminals. And then they're also hitting factories and things that are critical to the Russian defense industrial base.

So they're very different campaigns. Ukrainian one is focused on trying to cripple over the long term Russia's war-making capability, its military capability. And the Russian campaign, frankly, is just a terror campaign. It's designed to terrorize Ukrainian civilians, I guess, with the idea that that will sap Ukrainian will and Ukraine will be ready to make a deal.

The problem is, that's really never worked in the history of warfare, that terrorizing civilians has caused national will to collapse. And that's not happening here. In fact, it makes them more determined to see this war through and to defeat the Russian effort to essentially erase Ukraine's nationhood and statehood.

Nick Schifrin:

On the flip side, what evidence do you see of the impact of those Ukrainian long-range drones into Russia? What is impact -- what impact is that having on Russia's strategy or its ability to export oil and bring in the revenues it needs?

Col. Robert Hamilton (Ret.):

So, it'll have an impact over the long term. This Ukrainian long-range strike campaign is really only, say, four to six months old.

But the data that I'm seeing is that, for instance, the last month we have good Russian oil export revenue numbers for is April. And oil export revenues, at least by sea, were down 24 percent in April from March. And so that will be felt over the long term. This will have to -- they will have to keep this up for at least another six months or a year.

The problem -- at least -- and the problem here is short term -- is the U.S. war in Iran is providing Russia additional oil revenues that it wouldn't otherwise have.

Nick Schifrin:

We mentioned earlier in the package Ukraine is trying to shift the momentum, has shifted the momentum on the front line a little bit, seizing a little bit more territory this year. Why do you think that's happening?

Col. Robert Hamilton (Ret.):

One is the Starlink outage, in other words, the cutting off for Russian access to Starlink, which happened earlier this year. That blinded the Russians along the front line because they used Starlink, like the Ukrainians do, for situational awareness for their units on the front line.

The other thing is, the Ukrainians have switched from attacking Russian frontline positions to what we would call battlefield air interdiction, so deeper strikes against command-and-control, against air defense launchers and air defense radars, against artillery, against logistics and reserve formations.

And so that has really blunted Russia's ability to carry out offensive operations. And I think that's one of the reasons the Russians have had negative territorial gains for the last couple of months.

Nick Schifrin:

Bob Hamilton with the Delphi Global Research Center, stay safe in Kyiv tonight. Thanks very much.

Col. Robert Hamilton (Ret.):

Thank you, Nick.