Russia Launches Largest Drone Attack on Ukraine Since 2022 War Began

Russia launched its largest known drone attack since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, firing 273 drones primarily targeting Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions. The sustained overnight assault killed a 28-year-old woman and injured at least three others, including a young child, in the Kyiv region, with air defenses engaging multiple times to repel the attacks. This escalation followed the first direct talks in years between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul, which ended without a ceasefire agreement but resulted in a prisoner swap. Russian President Vladimir Putin declined a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to speak with both leaders about ending the conflict. Both sides have reported downing drones, with Russia claiming to have destroyed Ukrainian drones over its border regions. The attacks have been viewed by Ukraine as attempts to intimidate during ongoing and stalled negotiations.