This Sunday, Russia fired a total of 273 explosive and decoy drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
On Sunday, Russia unleashed its largest drone assault on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, destroying homes and killing at least one woman, just one day before U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to discuss a ceasefire proposal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine’s intelligence service reported that Moscow was also believed to be preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile later that same day in what it described as an effort to intimidate the West. Moscow did not immediately respond to the accusation.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired a total of 273 explosive drones and decoy devices on Sunday. Of those, 88 were intercepted and another 128 were lost, likely due to electronic interference. The attacks targeted the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions of the country.
Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Air Force’s communications department, told The Associated Press that the bombardment marked the largest drone attack since the full-scale invasion began.
The number of drones deployed exceeds the previous record, when Russia launched 267 drones on the eve of the war’s third anniversary.
Mykola Kalashnyk, regional governor of Kyiv, confirmed that a 28-year-old woman was killed in a drone strike, and three others—including a 4-year-old child—were injured.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defenses shot down seven Ukrainian drones overnight, and another 18 on Sunday morning.
As President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks to repair strained ties with Washington, he met Sunday in Rome with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
Zelensky met with both U.S. officials at the American ambassador’s residence, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had spoken with Zelensky and Rubio during the papal ceremonies.
Merz added that he had agreed with leaders of France and the United Kingdom to resume consultations with President Trump in preparation for his upcoming discussions.
“My clear impression is that both Europeans and Americans are determined to work together—this time with clear objectives—to ensure this terrible war ends soon,” Merz told reporters in Rome.
Trump confirmed he plans to speak with Putin by phone on Monday, followed by conversations with Zelensky and several NATO leaders regarding options to end the war in Ukraine.
On Friday, the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to produce a ceasefire.
Putin rejected Zelensky’s offer to meet in person in Turkey, even though the Kremlin itself had proposed direct negotiations—though not at the presidential level—as an alternative to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its Western allies, including the United States.
The Istanbul talks broke down in less than two hours without an agreement. However, both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war, according to the heads of each delegation.
Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told national television on Saturday that the exchange could happen as soon as next week.
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