Russia has unleashed one of its heaviest bombardments in weeks, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.
At least one person was killed in the western city of Lviv, while 15 others were wounded in Transcarpathia after strikes hit civilian areas and a U.S.-owned electronics plant. More than 20 residential buildings, including a nursery, were also damaged.
Ukraine’s air force reported that it intercepted 577 of the 614 aerial threats overnight, calling it the largest single air assault since July. Officials said the strikes involved hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles launched from western Russia, the Black Sea, and occupied Crimea.
The escalation came as U.S. President Donald Trump intensified diplomatic efforts to halt the war. After meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington. Trump initially proposed trilateral talks with Putin and Zelensky but later suggested that direct negotiations between the two leaders might be more effective.
Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to meet Putin “in neutral Europe,” citing Switzerland or Austria as possible venues, though he dismissed Budapest as unsuitable due to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s close ties with Moscow.
Despite growing talk of peace, Zelensky warned there was still “no sign from Moscow that they truly intend to engage in substantive negotiations.” He also noted that Russia was massing troops along the Zaporizhzhia front.
Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed responsibility for striking a Russian oil refinery in Rostov and a drone depot in occupied Donetsk.
As heavy fighting grinds on with little territorial change, Kyiv has renewed calls for additional Western air defences to counter Russia’s expanding aerial campaign.
