Russia fires record 479 drones at Ukraine

KIEV

Russia launched 479 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the 3-year war, the Ukrainian air force said on June 9, as the Kremlin presses its summer offensive against the backdrop of direct peace talks.

As well as drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air force said its air defenses destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles in mid-flight on June 8 night, claiming that only 10 drones or missiles hit their target. Officials said one person was injured.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

A recent escalation in aerial attacks has coincided with a renewed Russian battlefield push on eastern and northeastern parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said late on June 8 that in some of those areas “the situation is very difficult.” He provided no details.

Ukraine is short-handed on the frontline against its bigger enemy and needs further military support from its Western partners, especially air defenses. But uncertainty about the U.S. policy on the war has fueled doubts about how much help Kiev can count on.

Two recent rounds of direct peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul have yielded no significant breakthroughs beyond pledges to swap prisoners as well as thousands of their dead and seriously wounded troops.

Russia’s aerial attacks usually start late in the evening and end in the morning, because drones are harder to spot in the dark.

Russia has targeted civilian areas of Ukraine with Shahed drones during the war. The attacks have killed more that 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. Russia says it targets only military targets.