Russia launched one of its largest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine overnight, firing 574 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said Thursday. The strikes mostly targeted western regions, where Western-supplied military aid is believed to be stored and distributed.At least one person was killed and 15 others injured, officials said. In Lviv, three Russian cruise missiles armed with cluster munitions struck the city, damaging 26 residential buildings, a kindergarten and administrative facilities. Regional head Maksym Kozytskyi said one person died and three were hurt.It was Russia’s third-largest drone assault this year and eighth-largest missile attack, according to official figures. While Moscow claimed it targeted “enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex,” including drone factories, depots and missile launch sites, most such strikes have hit civilian areas.Among the facilities damaged was a US-owned electronics plant near Ukraine’s border with Hungary. Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, said the Flex factory, one of the largest American investments in the country, was struck while 600 nightshift workers were present. Six were injured. “The message is clear: Russia is not looking for peace. Russia is attacking American business in Ukraine, humiliating American business,” Hunder told the Associated Press.The attacks came as a US-led diplomatic effort is attempting to restart peace talks. Last week, US President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, followed by talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House earlier this week. Since those meetings, Russia has launched nearly 1,000 long-range drones and missiles at Ukraine.Zelenskyy condemned the latest strikes, saying they were carried out “as if nothing were changing at all.” He accused Moscow of showing no willingness for meaningful negotiations and urged the international community to increase pressure with stronger sanctions and tariffs.Ukraine has responded with long-range drone strikes inside Russia, targeting oil refineries and infrastructure that support Moscow’s war effort. Russian wholesale gasoline prices have reached record highs in recent days.Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said Ukraine expects details of security guarantees from its allies within 10 days, after which he could be prepared to hold direct talks with Putin for the first time since the full-scale invasion in February 2022. A trilateral format alongside Trump is also under discussion, with Switzerland, Austria and Turkey considered as possible venues.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed negotiations without Moscow’s direct involvement, calling them unfeasible.Zelenskyy, in his Oval Office meeting with Trump, sought to counter Putin’s narrative of Ukraine’s battlefield setbacks, pointing to errors in US maps that exaggerated Russian territorial control.
