Russia launches largest drone assault on Ukraine since war began, killing one and wounding several

Ukraine reported early Sunday that Russia carried out its largest drone strike since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, killing a woman in the Kyiv region and injuring at least three others. 

The attack followed unsuccessful peace talks between the two nations on Friday.

According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 273 drones by 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), focusing mainly on the Kyiv region, as well as Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk in the east. The air force confirmed it was the most extensive drone assault of the war to date. Previously, on February 23, the eve of the third anniversary of the invasion, Moscow had deployed a then-record 267 drones.

Friday marked the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in three years, but they failed to produce the temporary ceasefire Kyiv and its allies had sought. The 100-minute meeting in Istanbul resulted only in a mutual agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war on each side.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday.

The drone strikes on Sunday claimed the life of a 28-year-old woman in the Kyiv region and injured at least three others, including a four-year-old child, according to Ukrainian authorities.

“Tragically, a woman succumbed to her injuries after the enemy attack in the Obukhiv district,” wrote Mykola Kalashnik, governor of Kyiv region, on Telegram.

Air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv and surrounding areas, as well as eastern Ukraine, for nine continuous hours until around 9 a.m. local time (0600 GMT). Military forces engaged air defense systems multiple times overnight, officials said on Telegram.

“It was a difficult night. Russia consistently uses warfare and attacks as a pressure tactic during negotiations,” stated Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation.

Ukraine’s air force said 88 drones were shot down, and 128 decoy drones crashed without reaching their targets.

A day earlier, a Russian drone strike in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine hit a shuttle bus, killing nine civilians. President Zelenskiy labeled it a “deliberate” act and called for stricter sanctions against Moscow, which claimed it was targeting a military site.

Kalashnik reported that all injured in the Obukhiv district, located just south of Kyiv, were hospitalized. Residential buildings sustained damage in the area.

In the city of Kyiv, drone debris damaged the roof of a non-residential building, according to the local military administration. No injuries were reported.

Reuters journalists near Kyiv heard multiple explosions believed to be air defense activity. Russia has yet to comment on the attacks.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians, though the war has resulted in thousands of deaths—most of them Ukrainian.