Russia Launches Major Drone and Missile Attack on Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia unleashed a significant assault overnight, firing 420 drones and 39 missiles into Ukraine. This comes as U.S. and Ukrainian representatives gear up for additional discussions in Geneva aimed at resolving the ongoing five-year conflict.
Zelenskyy noted that this overnight attack, which involved 11 ballistic missiles, specifically targeted vital infrastructure and residential zones across eight Ukrainian regions. Authorities have indicated that numerous individuals, including children, sustained injuries, though a precise casualty count hasn’t been provided yet.
In a conversation late Wednesday, Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump for his “efforts and commitment” toward fostering peace talks.
While talks mediated by the U.S. between Moscow and Kiev are ongoing, they appear to be stalling particularly due to disagreements over territories that Russia claims as its own.
Trump’s aides, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were also engaged in discussions about nuclear negotiations with Iran in Geneva before directing their attention to the European conflict. They were due to meet with Rustem Umerov, who heads Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, and participated in a phone conversation involving both Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy.
The U.S. government aims to keep the momentum of its year-long push to end the conflict while addressing the deep-seated animosity between the involved parties.
Ukrainian and European officials have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of merely feigning interest in peace talks, trying to sidestep harsher penalties such as further U.S. sanctions while continuing the invasion.
Zelenskyy stated that the upcoming meeting of U.S. and Ukrainian envoys would focus on the details of a potential reconstruction plan for Ukraine post-war, alongside preparations for a tripartite meeting with Moscow officials, tentatively scheduled for the following week.
Additionally, he instructed Umerov to explore the possibility of a prisoner exchange.
Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation in the most recent round of talks with Ukraine, mentioned that Russia returned 1,000 bodies of fallen soldiers to Ukraine and recovered 35 bodies of its own soldiers, although he did not specify when those exchanges occurred.
Zelenskyy also reported that Russia targeted gas facilities in the Poltava region and electrical substations in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk. Emergency crews were deployed in the capital and five other regions to respond to the incidents.
The President noted that Ukraine’s air defense successfully intercepted most of the Russian missiles and commended Western partners for the timely provision of additional air defense interceptor systems. Ukraine continues to rely on foreign support to maintain its defense against the larger Russian military.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha urged allies to bolster military assistance. “While the entire world is urging Moscow to cease this pointless war, President Putin opts for escalated terrorism, attacks, and invasions,” Sibikha stated in a post on the Foreign Ministry’s website.
