Early Sunday, Russia unleashed its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began, firing 537 aerial weapons, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles. Ukraine’s air force managed to shoot down 249 of them, while 226 were likely disabled by electronic jamming. This massive attack, which extended to regions far from the front lines, signifies an escalation in Russia’s bombing campaign, further diminishing hopes for peace in the three-year conflict.
Casualties and Damage Across Ukraine
As reported by NBC, the widespread attacks resulted in multiple casualties. Three people died in drone strikes in each of the Kherson, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Another person was killed by an airstrike in Kostyantynivka. In the city of Kherson, a man died from Russian shelling, and the body of a 70-year-old woman was recovered from a shelled building in the Zaporizhzhia region.
In western Ukraine, a drone attack caused a large fire at an industrial facility in Drohobych in the Lviv region, also leading to power outages. Tragically, a Ukrainian F-16 warplane, supplied by Western partners, crashed after sustaining damage while engaging targets, killing the pilot.
Developments on the Front Lines and Diplomatic Front
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported shooting down three Ukrainian drones overnight. Two people were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Bryansk, where seven more drones were reportedly shot down. Russia also claimed to have seized control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially occupied Donetsk region, as Russian forces continue their slow, costly advances along the front line.
In other news, Sergei Naryshkin, Russia’s foreign intelligence chief, confirmed a phone call with his U.S. counterpart, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, stating they agreed to maintain open communication for future discussions. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks about being open to new peace talks in Istanbul, though previous rounds yielded no progress.
Ukraine Withdraws from Anti-Landmine Pact
In a significant move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to withdraw Ukraine from the Ottawa Convention, which bans antipersonnel landmines. A Ukrainian lawmaker stated this decision was necessitated by the realities of war, noting that Russia is not a signatory to the convention and extensively uses mines against Ukrainian military and civilians.
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