An official from Ukraine stated on Sunday that Russia had carried out its largest aerial assault against Ukraine overnight. This marks an intensifying bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for progress in efforts to end the ongoing 3-year-old conflict.
Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said.
Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Yuriy Ihnat, who leads communications for Ukraine’s air force, informed the Associated Press that the nighttime attack was “the most massive air strike” on the nation, considering the combination of drones and various types of missiles used.
The attack targeted regions across Ukraine, including western Ukraine, far from the frontline.
Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish air force said Sunday.
Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said one person died in a drone strike.
Six people were wounded in Cherkasy, including a child, according to regional Gov. Ihor Taburets.
In Ukraine’s Lviv region located in the far west, a drone attack triggered a large-scale fire at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych, causing parts of the city to experience power outages.
The fresh attacks follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s saying Friday that Moscow is ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul.
However, the war shows no signs of abating as US-led international peace efforts have so far produced no breakthrough.
Two recent rounds of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on reaching a settlement.
Long-range drone strikes have been a hallmark of the war, now in its fourth year.
The race by both sides to develop increasingly sophisticated and deadlier drones has turned the conflict into a testing ground for new weaponry.
