Russia launched a large-scale drone assault on Ukraine overnight, targeting key cities with 140 Shahed-type kamikaze drones, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force on Thursday.
The air force said the attack caused damage in the Odesa and Kharkiv regions. Additional Russian airstrikes targeted Kyiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. At least one person was killed in Kyiv, while several others, including a child, were wounded.
Ukraine reported that its air defense forces managed to intercept 85 of the drones, with another 52 failing to reach their targets.
The drone assault follows heightened discussions about a potential diplomatic resolution to the war, which is now nearing its three-year anniversary.
President Trump, who has repeatedly pledged to end the conflict, stated in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that he had a “lengthy and highly productive” conversation with Putin, during which they agreed to work toward peace negotiations. Trump later called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to inform him of the discussion, and told the public that “he, like President Putin, wants to make peace.”
Just before the drone strikes, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov categorically rejected any notion of territorial swaps as part of a peace settlement, responding to Zelenskyy’s earlier suggestion that Kyiv might be open to exchanging parts of Russia’s Kursk region for Ukrainian land currently under Russian occupation. “This is impossible. Russia has never and will never discuss the topic of exchanging its territory,” Peskov told reporters.
Following Russia’s drone assault, Zelenskyy took to social media to denounce the Russian strikes, calling them “proof that Putin is not preparing for peace but continuing his campaign of terror.”
He emphasized the need for stronger international pressure on Moscow, stating: “Only strong steps and pressure on Russia can stop this terror. Right now, we need the unity and support of all our partners in the fight for a just end to this war.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is scheduled to meet with Zelenskyy on Friday in Munich to address the ongoing conflict.
