Russia has launched 479 drones in opposition to Ukraine within the largest in a single day drone bombardment of the three-year battle, in line with the Ukrainian air pressure.
The air pressure stated early on Monday that it had downed 460 drones in addition to 19 missiles launched in a single day.
Russia’s continued to step up its drone and missile assaults on Ukraine, regardless of declaring, beneath strain from United States President Donald Trump, that it’s excited about pursuing peace talks. The report launch got here simply forward of the beginning of a prisoner swap agreed at current talks between the pair.
Of the a whole bunch of projectiles fired at quite a few targets, solely 10 reached their vacation spot, Kyiv officers stated. One particular person was reported injured.
Russia’s escalation of aerial assaults has been matched by a renewed battlefield push within the jap and northeastern elements of the roughly 1,000km (621-mile) entrance line in occupied elements of Ukraine.
The onslaught follows a secretive Ukrainian drone attack that broken a number of Russian bombers parked at airbases deep contained in the nation in what was a humiliation for the Kremlin and, in line with Kyiv, a palpable hit on its means to strike throughout the border with missiles.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated one goal of Kyiv’s strike was the Dubno airbase in Ukraine’s Rivne area, which hosts tactical aviation plane.
The mayor of the western metropolis of Rivne, Oleksandr Tretyak, stated the in a single day drone launch was “the biggest assault” on his area for the reason that begin of the battle.
Prisoner swap
Late on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy conceded that in some areas focused by the Russian offensive, “the state of affairs could be very tough”. Nevertheless, he offered no particulars.
Ukraine is shorthanded on the entrance line in opposition to its larger enemy and wishes additional army assist from its Western companions, particularly air defences. Nevertheless, uncertainty concerning the US coverage has led to doubts about how a lot assist Kyiv can rely on.
Two current rounds of direct peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul have yielded no breakthroughs past pledges to swap 1000’s of prisoners, together with lifeless and significantly wounded troopers.
Because the settlement, believed to concern an alternate of round 1,200 prisoners by every, was struck final week, the pair has accused each other of failing to satisfy their obligations.
Nevertheless, the primary batch of POWs was repatriated on Monday afternoon.
“At the moment’s alternate has begun. It will likely be carried out in a number of phases within the coming days,” Zelenskyy stated on the Telegram app. “Amongst these we’re bringing again now are the wounded, the severely wounded, and people beneath the age of 25,” he added.
The Russian defence ministry additionally stated the primary alternate had been carried out. It didn’t say what number of prisoners had been swapped, however did notice that the numbers on both sides matched.
The Russian Defence Ministry stated on Monday that its forces shot down 49 Ukrainian drones in a single day over seven Russian areas.
Two drones hit a plant specialising in digital warfare gear within the Chuvashia area, positioned greater than 600km (373 miles) east of Moscow, officers reported.
Because the starting of the battle in 2022, Russia has focused each army and civilian areas of Ukraine with Shahed drones. The assaults have killed greater than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, in line with the United Nations. Nevertheless, Russia claims it assaults solely army targets.
Alexander Gusev, head of Russia’s Voronezh area, stated 25 drones had been shot down there in a single day, damaging a fuel pipeline and sparking a small hearth.
The overall workers of the Ukrainian armed forces additionally claimed that its particular operations troops struck two Russian jets stationed on the Savasleyka airfield in Russia’s Novgorod area, positioned some 650km (404 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The assertion didn’t say how the planes have been struck.
