Russia launched its biggest aerial attack overnight since the start of the war against Ukraine, a Ukrainian official said on Sunday.
Moscow fired 537 aerial weapons toward Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, according to Ukraine’s air force. Among these weapons, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely electronically jammed.
The attack was “the most massive airstrike” against Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, told The Associated Press, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles.
Several regions were targeted, including western Ukraine, located far from the front line.
Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, Poland’s air force said.
One person was killed in a drone strike in the Kherson region, according to Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin, while another died when a drone hit a car in the Kharkiv region, its Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. Six people were wounded in Cherkasy, including a child, regional Gov. Ihor Taburets said.
In the far-western Lviv region, a large fire broke out at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych after a drone attack that also cut electricity to parts of the city.
Ukraine’s air force said one of its F-16 warplanes supplied by the West crashed after sustaining damage as it was shooting down air targets, killing the pilot.
The new attacks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow is ready for another round of direct peace talks in Istanbul to end the war.
No end appears to be in sight as international peace efforts coordinated by the U.S. have not yet led to any breakthroughs. Two recent rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on reaching an agreement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
