KYIV: Russia fired a record 479 drones at Ukraine in an overnight aerial barrage, Kyiv’s air force said on Monday, the latest massive attack as Moscow rejects calls for a ceasefire.
The attack caused damage in several Ukrainian regions, though there were no reports of people killed or mass casualties.
“Enemy air strikes were recorded in 10 spots,“ the Ukrainian air force said.
The mayor of the western city of Rivne, Oleksandr Tretyak, called it “the largest attack” on the region since the start of the war.
Russia has escalated its attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks, which Kyiv says demonstrate that Moscow has no intention of halting its three-year-long invasion and is not serious about peace talks.
The barrages have raised concerns about the capacity of Ukraine’s stretched air defence systems.
But the air force said that it shot down or intercepted 460 of the drones, as well as 19 out of 20 missiles fired by Russia overnight.
Ukraine also said it had launched its own overnight strike on an electronics factory that makes parts for Russian drones, with local Russian officials saying the facility had to temporarily suspend production after the attack.
