Ukraine-Russia war latest: Ukraine hit by large-scale Russian drone attack on eve of third anniversary of war – BBC.com

After Russia launched its biggest ever single drone attack on Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s foreign minister says it “demonstrates that avoiding calling Russia an aggressor does not change the fact that it is one”.

“No one should trust Putin’s words. Look at his actions instead.”

In a post on X, Andrii Sybiha adds that the attack targeted “civilians and critical infrastructure”.

Russia is yet to comment on the drone attack but it earlier said it destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones that were launched into Russia overnight.

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service

Over 95,000 people fighting for Russia’s military have now died as the war in Ukraine enters the fourth year, according to data analysed by the BBC.

This figure doesn’t include those who were killed serving in the militia of the self-proclaimed Donbas republics which we estimate to be between 21,000 and 23,500 fighters.

The list includes names of the deceased that we verified using information from official reports, newspapers, social media, and new memorials and graves. The real death toll is believed to be much higher.

With the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, civilian men were drafted en masse, often inadequately trained and poorly equipped before being assigned to near-impossible missions. This resulted in a staggering number of dead and missing soldiers, the fate of whom often remains unknown for months or years.

Despite many people in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine having relatives or friends in Russia, they are far less integrated into the country’s everyday life, which makes their losses less “visible” to ordinary Russians.

Russia’s actual losses are almost certainly substantially higher than open-source data can reveal. The true number of Russian military deaths could range from 146,194 to 211,169.

• Read more about the invisible losses in Russia, including the story of a 21-year-old solider who never made it back home

As we’ve reported, Ukraine says it intercepted 138 attack drones overnight, adding that 13 regions were targeted across the country.

In a new update, the Ukrainian air force says the intercepted drones targeted the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Dnipro.

It comes after Russia launched a large-scale attack with 267 drones targeting Ukraine.

The Ukrainian air force says 119 drones were “lost locally without negative consequences”, three flew towards Belarus and one towards Russia.

It adds that the drone attack caused damage in five regions: Dnipro, Odesa, Poltava, Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.

US President Donald Trump may be making a “historic mistake” in his approach to trying to end the war in Ukraine, former Foreign Secretary Lord William Hague has said, adding it may trigger a “wider war” in the future.

Speaking to BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Hague said “it’s a good thing to try to end a war but the only way to end this war in a way that doesn’t encourage future wars is to give as much support as we possibly can to Ukraine, to show Putin that a war of aggression will never succeed”.

“Having meetings with the Russians without the Ukrainians even represented, is, I think, the wrong way to go about it,” he said, after US-Russia talks were held in Saudi Arabia this week without a Ukrainian representative present.

“That will raise the hope of the Russians that they will end the war on their terms.”

Hours after Ukraine was rocked by a large Russian drone attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin is honouring his military.

He’s marking Defender of the Fatherland day, a public holiday aimed at focussing on the achievements of Russian military forces and veterans.

Personnel who have fought in the war in Ukraine were given Hero of the Russian Federation Gold Star medals by the president in a ceremony at the Kremlin.

In a statement on the Kremlin website, Putin says: “We celebrate the heroes who honourably continue the military labours of their ancestors on the battlefield today.

“We realise how hard it is for you right now, and we proudly support you.”

This year pro-Kremlin activists, supported by the ruling United Russia party, will organise a number of “patriotic activities” for schoolchildren in the Russia-occupied Ukrainian territories.

Sarah Rainsford
Europe correspondent, reporting from Rome

We’re now hearing from Pope Francis, who the Vatican says had a “peaceful” night and was rested after revealing on Saturday that his condition continues to be “critical”.

He was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person today – for the second Sunday running – but he did write the accompanying words and made mention to Ukraine:

“Tomorrow will be the third anniversary of the large-scale war against Ukraine: a painful and shameful occasion for the whole of humanity!

“As I reiterate my closeness to the suffering Ukrainian people, I invite you to remember the victims of all armed conflicts, and to pray for the gift of peace in Palestine, Israel and throughout the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu and Sudan.”

Russia’s defence ministry says 20 Ukrainian drones launched into Russia were “destroyed” overnight.

Russia sent hundreds of drones into Ukraine late on Saturday, a day before the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.

In a statement on telegram, the ministry outlines what it describes as “progress” in Russia’s “special military operation”.

We’re now seeing pictures of the impact of Russia’s large-scale drone attack on Ukraine overnight.

Russia launched 267 drones, Ukrainian officials say, across at least 13 regions, with an unspecified number of casualties reported.

Going back to the overnight drone attack on Ukraine, officials say 267 drones were launched, calling it “a record number for one attack”.

It is the most drones launched in a single attack since the Russian invasion began on 24 February 2022, says Yuriy Ignat, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force Command.

More than half of the drones were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, he adds.

In Zelensky’s statement, he called for “the strength of America” in helping achieve peace in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump has said Zelensky had “no cards” in peace negotiations, just days after referring to him as a “dictator”.

It comes after Trump held a telephone call with President Vladimir Putin in which the leaders agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. On Tuesday, top US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia earlier to discuss ending the conflict – but Ukraine was excluded.

Trump’s short-term goal is to stop the fighting in Ukraine. Longer term, he appears to want less American involvement, given that the US has sent tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to Kyiv.

He has also pushed for access to rare minerals in Ukraine in return for aid, or even as compensation for the support the US has already provided.

The Ukrainian president had rejected the initial US proposal made several days ago, saying he “cannot sell our state”.

In a video address late on Friday, Zelensky said Ukrainian and US teams were working on a draft agreement, which “can add value to our relations”. But he stressed that “what matters most is getting the details right”.

We’re expecting to hear a press conference later from President Zelensky – we’ll bring you the key points.

Sam Francis
Political reporter

UK Education Secretary Bridget Philipson has praised President Trump for bringing “Russians to the table” for peace talks in Ukraine.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Philipson said Trump was right to talk to re-establish links with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “there can be no settlement, no negotiated peace, without Russia”.

But she argued for a peace deal to last it must include “President Zelensky’s voice”.

“There can be no settlement unless we have a negotiation involving both Russia and Ukraine,” she said.

She also promised the Labour government would increase the UK’s defence spending from 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% through cutting “waste, poor procurement and bad decisions”.

She wouldn’t be drawn on when the government would aim to hit this target.

We can bring you more from the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer now, who is speaking in Glasgow at the Scottish Labour Conference.

He says he is “more determined to stand up for Ukraine” after visiting the frontline.

“I’ve seen first-hand the devastation Putin has caused,” he says.

He explains that in Kyiv, he met injured soldiers, and spoke to children growing up amongst the conflict. “I’ve been to Bucha, the town where Russian soldiers handcuffed civilians and shot them in the head in cold blood. Trust me, you don’t forget a place like that.”

The prime minister also says he spoke to survivors who had to gather up the bodies of loved ones and “wheel them into a mass grave using shopping trolleys”.

We’ve just heard from Sir Keir Starmer, who reiterates there can be no discussion about Ukraine’s future without the country being at the table.

Speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow, the UK prime minister says “nobody wants the bloodshed to continue, least of all the Ukrainians”.

“But after everything that they have suffered, after everything they have fought for, there can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term, secure future.”

It comes after US President Donald Trump’s decision to re-open relations with Russia and seek an end to the war in Ukraine.

Starmer will hold a crucial meeting in Washington with Trump this week.

Two people died in a strike on a residential building in Kherson, in southern Ukraine – a man and a mother of twins, the Ukrainian state emergency services said.

Regional authorities also confirmed that one man died and at least three were wounded following a strike on the central city of Kryvyi Rih.

Meanwhile, a 53-year-old woman was hospitalised after being injured in a drone attack in Zaporizhzhia, and firefighters were called to extinguish multiple fires in the capital, Kyiv.

Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that the multi-wave drone attacks on the capital had damaged several houses and cars but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

In the last hour, we’ve seen a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following the large-scale drone attacks:

Every day, our people stand against aerial terror. 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.

In total, nearly 1,150 attack drones, more than 1,400 guided aerial bombs and 35 missiles of various types were launched this week. I thank everyone who repels such attacks on a daily basis -our aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces.

I also thank those on the ground who save lives and respond to the aftermath of shelling—the State Emergency Service, medics, and the National Police.

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. I thank all our partners who help us and understand this.

After the large drone attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging for peace in the region.

In a post on X, he says “everyone capable of helping with air defence” must do so to protect human lives. “We must do everything possible to bring a lasting and just peace to Ukraine,” he says, adding that it’s achievable “through unity of all partners”.

He calls for the “strength of all of Europe, the strength of America, the strength of everyone who seeks lasting peace”.

We’ll bring you the full statement next.

Overnight, Russia launched 267 attack drones against Ukraine, a “record” number, according to Ukraine’s Air Force Command.

Among them, 138 were intercepted by air defence while 119 disappeared from radars after being jammed and did not cause any damage.

Drones were intercepted in at least 13 regions including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Odesa, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Emergency services reported drone strikes causing destruction and fires in a number of regions.

Two people in Kherson died, a man and a mother of twins, according to the Ukrainian state emergency services. Another casualty was reported in the central city of Kryvyi Rih.

The Ukrainian air force also reported that Russia launched three ballistic missiles overnight.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that 20 Ukrainian drones launched into Russia were “destroyed” overnight.

Imogen James
Live reporter

Russia has launched a large-scale drone attack against Ukraine on the eve of the third anniversary of the war.

Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, said a “record” 267 Russian drones were launched in a single, coordinated attack.

Emergency services say the strikes caused destruction and set fire to buildings in a number of regions overnight.

It is not clear how many people have died, but initial figures from emergency services suggest there were at least three casualties.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that 20 Ukrainian drones launched into Russia were “destroyed” overnight.

“The war continues”, Zelensky writes in a statement after the attack, asking for help bringing peace to the region.

Stick with us as we bring you developments.