Kyiv:
Russia has hit Ukraine with its largest single drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, which was launched on 24 February 2022. Drones were intercepted in at least 13 regions across Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Odesa, according to Ukrainian authorities.
“Record” 267 Russian drones were launched in a single, coordinated attack, said Ukraine’s Air Force Command spokesman Yuriy Ignat.
He said that around 138 were intercepted while 119 disappeared after being jammed without causing any damage, adding that Russia also launched three ballistic missiles. Damage was reported in five regions of Ukraine.
Ignat did not say what happened to the remaining 10 drones but a separate armed forces statement on Telegram said several regions, Kyiv included, had been “hit”.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a video of Ukrainian air defences successfully downing several drones launched by the Kremlin.
On February 23, 2025, Russia unleashed 267 drones against Ukraine, marking its largest drone assault since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian air defenses successfully downed 138 of these drones. 119 imitation drones were lost. Russia must be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/jTduUrKqdt
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) February 23, 2025
A Russian missile attack late Saturday left one man dead and five more wounded in the central town of Kryvyi Rig, regional authorities said Sunday.
Moscow has launched near-nightly massed drone attacks at Ukraine for months, seeking to exhaust air defences. To try to prevent daily Russian strikes, Ukraine has throughout the conflict sought to disrupt Russian logistics far from the front, notably by directly attacking military bases and industrial sites inside Russia itself.
Ukraine Slams Russia
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Russia launched more than 200 drones in an overnight attack, the largest of the war. He also condemned Russia’s “aerial terror” and called for unity among Ukraine’s allies.
“Every day, our people stand against aerial terror,” he wrote on X.
“On the eve of the third anniversary of the full-scale war, Russia launched 267 attack drones against Ukraine – the largest attack since Iranian drones began striking Ukrainian cities and villages.”
Zelenskiy said that in total, nearly 1,150 attack drones, more than 1,400 guided aerial bombs and 35 missiles of various types, were launched by Russia at Ukraine in the past week.
The president thanked those operating Ukraine’s air defences, and called on the country’s foreign allies to stand united to secure a “just and lasting peace”.
“This is achievable through the unity of all partners – we need the strength of all of Europe, the strength of America, the strength of everyone who seeks lasting peace.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the Kremlin claiming its aim is to protect itself against the threat of NATO expansion.
US Rallies Behind Moscow
US President Donald Trump broke with Western policy earlier this month by phoning Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss how to end the Ukraine conflict — a call hailed by Moscow as ending three years of isolation for the Kremlin leader since he launched his full-scale offensive in February 2022.
Amid his outreach to Moscow, Trump has also verbally attacked Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky falsely claiming Kyiv started the war and that Zelensky was hugely unpopular at home.
Kyiv and its European allies have been unnerved by Trump’s verbal attack on Zelenskiy last week, as well as by a meeting between US and Russian delegations in Riyadh to which Ukraine was not invited.
On Sunday, the Kremlin hailed dialogue between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — two “extraordinary” presidents — as “promising”, and vowed it would “never” give up territory seized in eastern Ukraine.
“This is a dialogue between two extraordinary presidents,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV on Sunday.
“That’s promising,” he added.
“It is important that nothing prevents us from realising the political will of the two heads of state.”
Trump’s overtures to Moscow have triggered alarm in Kyiv and across Europe. But it is unclear whether his moves will be able to bring Moscow and Kyiv closer to a truce.