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Trump, Donald

Russia Launches Record Number of Drones on Ukraine, Kilometers of Damage Reported

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Russia on Sunday attacked Ukraine with a record number of drones, targeting various regions, including the capital, Kyiv, where a woman was killed. The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched "273 Shahed attack drones and various types of imitator drones", of which 88 were destroyed and 128 more went astray "without negative consequences". Ukraine's intelligence service said it believed Moscow had intended to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile later on Sunday.

A man was killed in the Kherson region, where a railway station and private houses and cars were hit. The Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said it was a "record" number of drones. "Russia has a clear goal -- to continue killing civilians," she said. The Russian military said it had intercepted 25 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday morning. Moscow also claimed it had captured Bahatyr, another village in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, as it intensifies the war effort despite the Istanbul peace talks.

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy again pressed the need for sanctions against Russia in a call with Donald Trump before the US president's telephone summit with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Trump is to speak with Putin on Monday as part of his long-running effort to end the war set off by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Separately, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met the US vice-president, JD Vance, and secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Sunday as part of preparations for the Trump-Putin call. The encounter took place on the sidelines of Pope Leo's inauguration on Sunday. It came two days after the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in over three years in Turkey.

Key Takeaways:

  • 273 Shahed attack drones and various types of imitator drones were launched by Russia on Ukraine, with 88 destroyed and 128 going astray "without negative consequences".
  • A woman was killed in the capital, Kyiv, and a man was killed in the Kherson region, where a railway station and private houses and cars were hit.
  • Ukraine's intelligence service believed Moscow had intended to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile later on Sunday.
  • The Russian military claimed to have intercepted 25 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday morning and captured Bahatyr, another village in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.
  • The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met with the US vice-president, JD Vance, and secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to discuss preparations for the Trump-Putin call.
  • Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said Russia has a clear goal to continue killing civilians.
  • The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy again pressed the need for sanctions against Russia in a call with Donald Trump.
  • Australia has sent more tanks to Ukraine, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying "The Russian illegal aggression needs to be resisted and we stand with Ukraine very clearly and unequivocally".

Statistics:

  • 273: The number of Shahed attack drones and imitator drones launched by Russia on Ukraine.
  • 88: The number of drones destroyed by Ukraine.
  • 128: The number of drones that went astray "without negative consequences".
  • 25: The number of Ukrainian drones intercepted by Russia overnight into Sunday morning.
  • 3: The average number of loaded shadow tankers passing through northern European waters per day, including the Danish straits and the Channel.
  • 85%: The estimate of Russian oil exports carried by the shadow fleet.
  • 1/3: The estimate of Russian budget funded by the shadow fleet.
  • 350: The total number of ships under EU sanctions, including the 180 ships expected to be sanctioned on Monday.

Sources:

  • Ukraine on Sunday said Russia attacked with a record number of drones (no date)
  • Ukrainian air force (no date)
  • Ukraine's intelligence service (no date)
  • The Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko (no date)
  • The Russian military (no date)
  • The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy (no date)
  • Donald Trump (no date)
  • Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy (no date)
  • US vice-president, JD Vance (no date)
  • Secretary of state, Marco Rubio (no date)
  • Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese (no date)

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