Russia launched its largest aerial attack since war began, Ukraine says

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 5:56 AM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

Russia launched its biggest aerial onslaught against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian authoritative said Sunday, portion of an escalating bombing run that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough successful efforts to extremity the three-year-old war.

Russia fired a full of 537 aerial weapons astatine Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine's aerial unit said. Of these, 249 were changeable down and 226 were lost, apt having been electronically jammed.

The onslaught was "the astir monolithic airstrike" connected the state since the opening of Russia's full-scale penetration successful February 2022, taking into relationship some drones and assorted types of missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, caput of communications for Ukraine's aerial force, told The Associated Press.

The onslaught targeted respective regions, including occidental Ukraine, acold from the beforehand line.

Poland and allied countries scrambled craft to guarantee the information of Polish airspace, the country's aerial unit said.

Three radical were killed successful each of the drone strikes successful the Kherson, Kharkiv and the Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to the 3 regional governors.

Another idiosyncratic was killed by an airstrike successful Kostyantynivka, section officials said. In summation to aerial attacks, a antheral died erstwhile Russian troops shelled the metropolis of Kherson, and the assemblage of a 70-year-old pistillate was recovered nether the rubble of a nine-storey gathering deed by Russian shelling successful the Zaporizhzhia region.

WATCH | Last month, Ukraine reported 1 of largest aerial attacks by Russia: 

In the far-western Lviv region, a ample occurrence broke retired astatine an concern installation successful the metropolis of Drohobych pursuing a drone onslaught that besides chopped energy to parts of the city. 

Ukraine's aerial unit said 1 of its F-16 warplanes, supplied by its Western partners, crashed aft sustaining harm portion shooting down aerial targets. The aviator died. 

Attacks continued during the day. Dnipropetrovsk Gov. Serhii Lysak said a 72-year-old antheral was killed erstwhile a drone deed his car.

Russia claims power of village

In Russia, 2 radical were wounded successful a Ukrainian drone onslaught connected the metropolis of Bryansk successful occidental Russia, determination Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said Sunday morning, adding that 7 Ukrainian drones had been changeable down implicit the region.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed Sunday that it had taken power of the colony of Novoukrainka successful the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region.

Russian forces person been dilatory grinding guardant astatine immoderate points connected the astir 1,000-kilometre front line, though their incremental gains person been costly successful presumption of unit casualties and damaged armour. 

Long-range drone strikes person been a hallmark of the war. The contention by some sides to make progressively blase and deadlier drones has turned the struggle into a investigating crushed for caller weaponry. 

In different developments, Russia's overseas quality chief, Sergei Naryshkin, said helium had spoken connected the telephone with his U.S. counterpart, CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

"I had a telephone telephone with my American counterpart and we reserved for each different the anticipation to telephone astatine immoderate clip and sermon issues of involvement to us," Naryshkin said successful remarks to authorities TV newsman Pavel Zarubin, who posted them connected his Telegram transmission connected Sunday.

Zelenskyy withdraws Ukraine from anti-land excavation pact

Sunday's attacks travel Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments 2 days agone that Moscow is acceptable for a caller circular of nonstop bid talks successful Istanbul. 

However, the warfare shows nary signs of abating arsenic U.S.-led planetary bid efforts person truthful acold produced nary breakthrough. Two caller rounds of talks betwixt Russian and Ukrainian delegations successful Istanbul were little and yielded nary advancement connected reaching a settlement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to retreat Ukraine from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel onshore mines, a Ukrainian lawmaker said Sunday. The determination follows akin caller steps by the Baltic states and Poland.

The 1997 pact prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transportation of anti-personnel onshore mines successful an effort to support civilians from explosives that tin maim oregon termination agelong aft warring ends.

"This is simply a measurement that the world of warfare has agelong demanded," said Roman Kostenko, caput of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee connected nationalist security, defence and intelligence. He noted that Russia is not a enactment to the normal "and is massively utilizing mines against our subject and civilians."