Russia launched 122 missiles and dozens of drones against Ukrainian targets, officials said Friday, killing at least 24 civilians across the country in what an air force official said was the biggest aerial barrage of the war.

The Ukrainian air force intercepted most of the ballistic and cruise missiles and the Shahed-type drones overnight, said Ukraine’s military chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his official Telegram channel that it was “the most massive aerial attack” since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

[As one follower on Twitter noted, this is pretty clearly an act of revenge for Ukraine’s spectacular destruction of a troop landing ship in Crimea. But it’s also coming at a time when their Iranian suppliers are stretching themselves thin, with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis all requiring resupply in their war against Israel. And one has to wonder whether Putin may be applying his “escalate to de-escalate” doctrine in hopes of getting a negotiated settlement to end the war on some face-saving terms. — Ed]