A recent Russian drone attack marked the largest since the onset of the full-scale war in 2022, resulting in the death of a woman in the Kiev region and injuring at least three others, according to Ukrainian officials on Sunday morning. This escalation came shortly after peace discussions held on Friday.
By 8 AM, Russia had deployed 273 drones, primarily aimed at central Kiev, as well as the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine, stated the Ukrainian Air Force. This incident stands as the most significant drone assault in the ongoing conflict, surpassing a previous high where Moscow launched 267 drones on February 23, marking the first half of the anniversary for Russia’s major invasion.
The in-person talks between Russia and Ukraine on Friday unfortunately failed to mediate any of the issues that Kiev and its allies currently seek to resolve. After 100 minutes of discussions in Istanbul, both sides ultimately agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners.
US President Donald Trump announced plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.
On the night of the drone attack, a 28-year-old woman lost her life, and at least three people, including a four-year-old child, were reported injured. Kiev’s regional governor Mykola Kalashnik shared the tragic news on Telegram, indicating the woman’s injuries were due to enemy strikes in the Obukhiv area.
witnesses spoke of a challenging night, where air defense forces worked tirelessly to thwart ongoing attacks. Andry Kovalenko, director of the Centre for Countering Disinformation in Ukraine, stated that this tactic from Russia was often a means to pressure the other side into negotiation.
The air defense system managed to destroy 88 drones throughout the night. However, there were also 128 simulator drones that went down without making any impacts, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
In another incident the day prior, a Russian drone strike resulted in the death of nine civilians when a shuttle bus was hit in northeastern Ukraine’s Smie region. President Zelensky labeled this attack as “intentional” and called for tougher sanctions against Russia, emphasizing that military facilities were the intended targets.
Those injured in the Obukhiv district were taken to hospitals, with several residential buildings sustaining damage. Additionally, fragments from a destroyed drone caused damage to the roof of a non-residential building in Kiev, although there were no injury reports from that incident.
Witnesses around Kiev described hearing explosions attributed to air defense units, while there was no immediate word from Russia regarding the attacks. Both sides maintain they do not target civilians in this conflict, yet the toll has been devastating, with a significant majority of deaths among Ukrainians.
