Ukrainian officials reported early Sunday that a significant Russian drone strike—the largest since the onset of the full-scale war in 2022—resulted in the death of a woman in the Kiev region and injuries to at least three others.
This strike occurred just days after Ukraine and Russia convened their first in-person discussions since 2022, coinciding with a scheduled call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
By 8 a.m. local time, Russia had launched 273 drones, primarily targeting the Kiev area as well as the eastern Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The attack led to the death of a 28-year-old woman near the capital and injured several people, including a four-year-old child.
Data from the Air Force indicated this was the largest recorded drone attack by Russia, surpassing a previous strike on February 23, when they launched 267 drones—marking the approach of the three-year anniversary of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Air Force reported that 128 of the drones vanished from radar during the assault, possibly due to software malfunctions, fuel issues, or being decoy drones without explosives. An additional 88 drones were shot down.
Both countries are increasing their use of decoy drones to confuse air defenses. Some of these drones are designed to appear larger to radar systems.
Serhii Kuzan, head of the Ukraine Security Cooperation Centre, commented that many of the drones deployed by Russia are actually decoys, enhanced with technology to appear like missile threats.
These decoy drones are manufactured similarly to the Shaheed-136 drones and are produced in a factory in Tatarstan.
Kuzan noted that these misleading drones prompt Ukrainian defenders to engage and shoot them down.
Russia is rapidly enhancing its drone warfare capabilities, producing thousands of both real and decoy drones for the conflict.
The scale of the recent attack carries weight, particularly in the context of upcoming conversations between Putin and Trump, who has previously called for a “bloody end” to the situation in Ukraine, despite the strike’s limited physical impact.
The recent three-year anniversary meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul did not yield a temporary ceasefire, but both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners.
President Trump also plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.
Residents of Kiev and surrounding areas were on high alert, receiving warnings for nine consecutive hours leading up to 9 a.m. local time, while air defense forces were actively engaged to counter the attack.
“It was a tough night. The Russians often use conflict as a means to pressure negotiations,” said Andry Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation in Ukraine.
Additionally, on Saturday, a separate Russian drone attack resulted in the deaths of nine civilians when a drone struck a shuttle bus in the northeastern Smie region. Zelensky condemned this act as “intentional,” calling for stricter sanctions against Moscow.
