Russia launches largest drone attack of war on Ukraine

Russia launched its largest single drone attack on Ukraine on Saturday night, according to officials. Yuriy Ignat, a spokesman for Ukraine's Air Force Command, confirmed that a "record" 267 Russian drones were deployed in a single, coordinated strike. While 138 of the drones were intercepted, 119 were jammed and disappeared without causing any damage. Despite many drones being repelled, emergency services reported damage and fires in several regions due to the strikes. These attacks occurred just before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it the largest drone assault since Russia began using Iranian-made drones.

In a recent statement, Zelensky revealed that Russia launched nearly 1,150 attack drones, over 1,400 guided aerial bombs, and 35 missiles of various types at Ukraine this week.

"We must do everything possible to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine," Zelensky stated. "This can only be accomplished through the unity of all partners—we need the strength of Europe, America, and everyone who stands for lasting peace."

According to Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence, Russia has been using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, known as "kamikaze" drones, since the fall of 2022. Initially used to target military installations in the Kharkiv region, these drones have since been employed against civilian areas and energy infrastructure.

While Iran has claimed it only provided a "small number" of drones to Russia before the war, both the US and the EU have accused Iran of regularly supplying Russia with drones.

The number of casualties from Saturday's drone strike remains unclear, but initial reports from emergency services indicate at least three deaths. Two people were killed in a strike on a residential building in Kherson, southern Ukraine—a man and a mother of twins, according to Ukrainian state emergency services.

Regional authorities confirmed that one man died, and at least three others were injured in an attack on the central city of Kryvyi Rih.

In Zaporizhzhia, a 53-year-old woman was hospitalized after being wounded in a drone strike, and firefighters were dispatched to extinguish several fires in Kyiv.

Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram, stating that the capital had been hit by multiple waves of drone attacks, which caused damage to houses and cars, though no injuries were immediately reported.

Drones were intercepted across at least 13 regions, including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolayiv, and Odesa, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The Ukrainian Air Force also reported that Russia launched three ballistic missiles overnight.

In response, Russia's defense ministry claimed on Sunday that 20 Ukrainian drones targeting Russian territory were "destroyed" overnight.

On Monday, the war will enter its third year.

As this milestone approaches, diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal continue, with Ukraine, its European allies, and the US presenting different approaches to ending the conflict.

This week, the US and Russia held preliminary talks in Saudi Arabia—without representatives from Europe or Ukraine—prompting European leaders to organize a last-minute summit in Paris.

Zelensky condemned Ukraine's exclusion from the US-Russia discussions, accusing US President Donald Trump of "living in a disinformation space" controlled by Moscow. Trump responded by calling Zelensky a "dictator."

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Washington on Monday, while UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will follow on Thursday.

Starmer has expressed strong support for Zelensky, reaffirming the UK's "ironclad support" for Kyiv and emphasizing Ukraine's sovereignty in his upcoming discussions with Trump.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis, currently hospitalized with a respiratory illness, released a statement on Sunday, marking the third anniversary of the war as "a painful and shameful occasion for all of humanity."