Firefighters work on a site of a building damaged after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday.
Kyiv: Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war, firing 537 aerial weapons overnight in what Ukrainian officials described as a massive escalation of the ongoing conflict, now in its third year. The Ukrainian Air Force reported on Sunday that the attack included 477 drones and decoys, along with 60 missiles. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 likely neutralised through electronic jamming.
Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, told the Associated Press that the scale of the onslaught — involving both drones and various missile types — made it “the most massive airstrike” on Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion. The barrage struck multiple regions, including areas in western Ukraine far from the front lines, underscoring the reach of the Russian offensive.
The attack triggered regional and international alarm. Poland and its allied nations scrambled aircraft to protect Polish airspace, according to Poland’s air force. On the ground in Ukraine, casualties were reported across several regions. In the Kherson region, one person died in a drone strike, while in Kharkiv, another was killed when a drone struck a vehicle, according to regional officials. In Cherkasy, six people, including a child, were injured.
In western Ukraine’s Lviv region, a drone strike ignited a large fire at an industrial site in Drohobych and caused power outages in parts of the city. The Ukrainian air force also reported that an F-16 fighter jet — supplied by Western allies — crashed after sustaining damage while intercepting aerial targets. The pilot was killed.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry claimed it shot down three Ukrainian drones overnight. In western Russia’s Bryansk region, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz reported that two people were injured in a separate Ukrainian drone attack, and seven drones were intercepted.
On the battlefield, Russia announced the capture of Novoukrainka, a village in the partially occupied Donetsk region. Despite slow advances along the 1,000-kilometre front, Russian gains have come at a significant cost, with high casualties and equipment losses.
The intensified aerial strikes come just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow’s readiness for renewed peace talks in Istanbul. However, no substantial progress has emerged from previous negotiations. Recent US-led international peace efforts have failed to yield a breakthrough, and the war continues to show no signs of de-escalation.
Drone warfare has remained a defining feature of the conflict, with both sides developing more advanced and lethal technologies, turning Ukraine into a proving ground for cutting-edge military drones.
With PTI inputs