Russia hammers Ukraine with drones and missiles as peace efforts drag on
Kyiv: Russia launched one of its biggest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles overnight, the Ukrainian
Air Force said Thursday, while a recent diplomatic push to stop the three-year war is trying to gain momentum.
The attack mostly targeted western regions of the country, the air force said, where much of the military aid provided by Ukraine’s Western allies is believed to be delivered and stored.
The strikes killed at least one person and injured 15 others, according to officials.
It was Russia’s third-largest aerial attack this year in terms of the number of drones fired and the eighth-largest in terms of missiles, according to official figures. Most such Russian attacks have hit civilian areas.
The strikes occurred during a renewed US-led effort to reach a peace settlement following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of its neighbour. US President Donald Trump discussed the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, and at the start of this week hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House.
Russia has fired nearly 1,000 long-range drones and missiles at Ukraine since the White House talks.
Russia says it targeted military-industrial sites
Ukraine and European leaders have accused Putin of stalling in ongoing peace efforts, including Ukraine’s proposal of a ceasefire and Zelenskyy’s offer to sit down with the Russian leader.
The Kremlin has reacted coolly to those possibilities.
Zelenskyy condemned the overnight attack, saying it was carried out “as if nothing were changing at all.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the strikes targeted “enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.” It claimed the attack hit drone factories, storage depots and missile launch sites, as well as areas where Ukrainian troops were gathered.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilian areas of Ukraine.
Moscow has shown no signs of pursuing meaningful negotiations to end the war, Zelenskyy said.
