Ukraine prepares for massive airstrike, Zelensky warns Putin is testing NATO unity

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Ukraine is preparing for a major Russian attack as early as tonight or tomorrow evening, saying Moscow is preparing a large-scale attack using drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

Speaking on CBS News' Face the Nation, Zelensky said Ukraine had detected signs of Russian preparations ahead of the expanded attacks. He thanked American and European partners for sharing intelligence.

"We see the preparation," Zelensky said. "So when we know that Russia is preparing a major, massive attack, of course our partners know it too - maybe not a lot of details, but they know it."

Zelensky called on Ukrainians to show extreme caution.

"I will say that our people should be very, very careful, prudent - and children - and should use bomb shelters," Zelensky said. "Because tonight or tomorrow evening, there is a high chance. Of course, no one knows exactly 100 percent, but there is a high percentage."

According to Zelensky, localized Russian attacks against civilians and frontline positions occur daily, while massive combined attacks involving drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles occur approximately twice a week or every 10 days.

Later on Friday, President Zelensky delivered his evening address to the nation and issued a corresponding statement on social media, confirming that new intelligence reports indicated an imminent attack. He noted that the country was on high alert and stressed that securing more air defense interceptors remains Kiev's top priority.

Critical air defense deficit

President Zelensky highlighted the scale of a recent attack to illustrate the immense pressure facing Ukraine's air defenses.

"The last massive attack, just to understand, happened a few days ago," Zelensky said. "There were 600 drones - Iranian drones, Shaheds - and about 35, over 40 ballistic missiles. In total, there were 90 missiles and more than 600 Iranian drones."

He said that capturing any target under such a large volume remains extremely difficult.

"We used all the weapons that we have, that we produce, and of course we used anti-ballistic missiles," Zelensky added. "This is the biggest deficit for us."

Testing NATO unity

President Zelensky added that Ukraine actively tries to intercept Russian drones even when their flight paths lead to neighboring countries.

"Usually we try to catch all the drones, even when they are heading towards other countries – like Romania, Moldova or Poland," he said. "If we can't, of course, we give these messages to our partners. We try to help them."

He noted that Ukraine also shares real-time tracking alerts with its Baltic partners, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

According to Zelensky, Moscow deliberately uses these airspace incursions to exert political and military pressure on Western allies.

"Russia is only using this to attack politically and through pressure with weapons on NATO countries, to see the reaction," he said, arguing that the Alliance's response should be significantly stronger and more unified.

Russia tests allies' air defenses

Zelensky warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is closely monitoring how NATO responses have evolved during three years of full-scale war.

He stressed that Russia is actively testing the air defense capabilities of NATO countries bordering Ukraine, Belarus or Russia to assess their operational readiness.

"He is testing the air defense they have - can they destroy all the missiles or drones," Zelensky said.

The warning underscores Kiev's ongoing campaign to pressure Western partners for accelerated deliveries of advanced air defense systems. Ukrainian officials say Russia's expanding campaign of air strikes threatens not only Ukraine's population centers but also the broader security of NATO's eastern flank.

The GeoPost