KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched its greatest aerial assault in opposition to Ukraine in a single day, a Ukrainian official mentioned Sunday, a part of an escalating bombing marketing campaign that has additional dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to finish the 3-year-old warfare.
Russia fired a complete of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, together with 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine’s air power mentioned. Of those, 249 had been shot down and 226 had been misplaced, possible having been electronically jammed.
The onslaught was “probably the most large airstrike” on the nation for the reason that starting of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, making an allowance for each drones and numerous varieties of missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air power, informed The Related Press. The assault focused a number of areas, together with western Ukraine, removed from the entrance line.
Poland and allied international locations scrambled plane to make sure the protection of Polish airspace, the nation’s air power mentioned.
Three folks had been killed in every of the drone strikes within the Kherson, Kharkiv and the Dnipropetrovsk areas, based on the three governors.
One other particular person was killed by an airstrike in Kostyantynivka, native officers mentioned. Along with aerial assaults, a person died when Russian troops shelled town of Kherson, and the physique of a 70-year-old girl was discovered underneath the rubble of a nine-story constructing hit by Russian shelling within the Zaporizhzhia area.
Within the far-western Lviv area, a big fireplace broke out at an industrial facility within the metropolis of Drohobych following a drone assault that additionally lower electrical energy to elements of town.
Ukraine’s air power mentioned certainly one of its F-16 warplanes provided by its Western companions crashed after sustaining injury whereas capturing down air targets. The pilot died.
Russian troops reportedly advance in Donetsk
Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned it had shot down three Ukrainian drones in a single day.
Two folks had been wounded in one other Ukrainian drone assault on town of Bryansk in western Russia, regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz mentioned Sunday morning, including that seven extra Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the area.
In the meantime, Russia claimed Sunday that it had taken management of the village of Novoukrainka within the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk area.
Russian forces have been slowly grinding ahead at some factors on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) entrance line, although their incremental features have been expensive by way of troop casualties and broken armor.
In different developments, Russia’s overseas intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, mentioned he had spoken on the telephone together with his U.S. counterpart, CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
“I had a telephone name with my American counterpart and we reserved for one another the likelihood to name at any time and focus on problems with curiosity to us,” Naryshkin mentioned in remarks to state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin, who posted them on his Telegram channel on Sunday.
Sunday’s assaults observe Russian President Vladimir Putin’s feedback two days in the past that Moscow is prepared for a contemporary spherical of direct peace talks in Istanbul. Two current rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul had been temporary and yielded no progress on reaching a settlement.
Zelenskyy withdraws Ukraine from an anti-land mine pact
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to withdraw Ukraine from the Ottawa Conference banning antipersonnel land mines, a Ukrainian lawmaker mentioned Sunday. The transfer follows comparable current steps by the Baltic states and Poland.
The 1997 treaty prohibits the use, manufacturing, stockpiling and switch of antipersonnel land mines in an effort to guard civilians from explosives that may maim or kill lengthy after combating ends.
“It is a step that the truth of warfare has lengthy demanded,” mentioned Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on nationwide safety, protection and intelligence. He famous that Russia isn’t a celebration to the conference “and is massively utilizing mines in opposition to our army and civilians.”
Copyright 2025 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.