New Delhi, May 18: Russia launched its biggest drone strike on Ukraine since the start of the war, targeting multiple regions overnight, according to Ukraine’s military. Citing Ukraine’s Air Force, CNN reported Sunday that 273 Shahed drones were used in a single night, with most aimed at the Kyiv region. A 28-year-old woman was killed and three others, including a four-year-old child, were injured in the Kyiv region.
The attack resulted in extensive damage to residential buildings, high-rise buildings, and garages. Ukraine’s emergency services reported a series of fires and deployed 55 rescue workers to respond.
The air raid in Kyiv reportedly lasted almost nine hours. Ukrainian officials described the attack as part of Russia’s continuing military pressure despite ongoing peace negotiations. Elsewhere in the country, Russian shelling in the Donetsk region killed one person and injured eight others. Drone strikes were also reported in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the media reported. Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had shot down 75 Ukrainian drones in the last 24 hours, according to Russian state media.
The wave of attacks followed a Russian drone strike on a bus in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region on Saturday, which killed at least nine people and injured seven others. These escalations came just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since early 2022. The meeting took place in Turkey but failed to produce any major progress. The sides reportedly discussed a possible ceasefire, a prisoner exchange, and a future presidential summit. However, Russia’s demand that Ukraine surrender control of certain territories was rejected by Kyiv, with Western leaders calling Moscow’s position unacceptable. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is expected to speak with Putin on Monday, announced that he does not believe significant progress will be made in the peace process until a direct conversation takes place between the two leaders. The Kremlin confirmed preparations for the call are underway.
