Russia fires about 800 drones at Ukraine despite recent talk in Moscow of possible peace
Russia launched a massive drone strike on Ukraine’s 20 regions on Wednesday, deploying about 800 drones and killing six people, including children, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of potential follow-up missile attacks. Despite claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump that the war may be nearing an end, Moscow’s offensive continued unabated, targeting Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa while insisting on its annexation terms for negotiations.
Ukraine faced its longest and most intense drone attack in the 4-year-old war on Wednesday, as Russia fired approximately 800 drones across 20 regions, including Kyiv, Lviv, and the Black Sea port of Odesa. The assault began in midmorning and lasted for hours, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, including children, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Debris from downed drones was found in Kyiv’s Obolonskyi district, with no casualties reported, while three fatalities occurred in the Rivne region west of the capital. Ukrainian air defenses engaged the drones, but Zelenskyy warned that a subsequent cruise or ballistic missile strike could follow. He emphasized Russia’s strategy of overwhelming Ukraine’s defenses, stating that the attacks would only intensify if global attention waned. Zelenskyy also criticized the shift in international focus toward the Iran war, arguing that silence emboldens Moscow’s aggression. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested last weekend that his invasion of Ukraine might be nearing an end, while U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that a deal to halt fighting was imminent. Neither leader provided details on their claims, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s unchanged demands: Ukraine must withdraw troops from the four illegally annexed regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—before negotiations could begin. Diplomatic efforts led by the U.S. have stalled, with key issues—such as Russia’s retention of seized Ukrainian territory and guarantees against future invasions—remaining unresolved. Zelenskyy’s office reported that 14 Ukrainian regions faced attacks on Tuesday, followed by overnight strikes on residential, energy, and railway infrastructure, underscoring the war’s relentless nature. Despite the escalation, Ukraine’s military continues to defend against Russian advances, while global leaders’ statements on a potential ceasefire offer no immediate relief. The drone barrage highlighted the war’s persistence, with no signs of de-escalation despite diplomatic rhetoric.
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