Russia launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022.Russia fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys overnight, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday (May 18). Of those, 88 were intercepted and a further 128 lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The attacks targeted the country’s Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.
Yuriy Ihnat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force, told The Associated Press that the barrage was the biggest drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion. Russia’s previous largest known single drone attack was on the eve of the war’s third anniversary, when Russia pounded Ukraine with 267 drones.
Kyiv regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said a a 28-year-old woman was killed in a drone attack on the region and three other people, including a 4-year-old child, were wounded. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down seven Ukrainian drones overnight, and a further 18 on Sunday morning (May 18).Read more: Russia, Ukraine hold their first direct peace talks in three years amid low expectations
Yuriy Ihnat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force, told The Associated Press that the barrage was the biggest drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion. Russia’s previous largest known single drone attack was on the eve of the war’s third anniversary, when Russia pounded Ukraine with 267 drones.
Kyiv regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said a a 28-year-old woman was killed in a drone attack on the region and three other people, including a 4-year-old child, were wounded. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down seven Ukrainian drones overnight, and a further 18 on Sunday morning (May 18).Read more: Russia, Ukraine hold their first direct peace talks in three years amid low expectations
The attacks came after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years on May 16 failed to yield a ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s offer to meet face-to-face in Turkey after he himself proposed direct negotiations — although not at the presidential level — as an alternative to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its Western allies, including the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to speak by phone Monday with Putin, and will then speak to Zelensky and leaders of various NATO countries, about ending the war in Ukraine.
