Ukraine says Russia launches its largest drone attack
Danai and Action

BBC News

Reuters

Residents investigated the damage to the house after a Russian drone strike outside Kiev on Saturday night

Ukraine said Russia has launched the largest drone attack since the start of the full invasion, targeting a woman who died in several areas, including Kiev.

The barrage comes the day before the scheduled call between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The U.S. president has been urging a ceasefire.

Russia and Ukraine held their first face-to-face meeting in Türkiye on Friday in more than three years, agreeing to a new prisoner exchange deal, but few others.

Ukrainian Air Force says Russia launches 273 drones by 08:00 on Sunday (05:00 GMT) For the central Kiev region, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions in the east.

It said 88 drones were intercepted and another 128 went astray with “no negative consequences”.

The strikes reportedly killed one person in the Obkif district of the Kiyof region and injured at least three people - one of them a four-year-old.

Russia's largest drone attack occurred on February 23, the third anniversary of the full invasion of 267 drones in Moscow.

The Russian military said it had intercepted Ukrainian drones 25 times overnight.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that he and leaders from Britain, France and Poland will hold a virtual meeting with Trump before a conversation with Putin on Monday morning.

The four leaders visited Ukraine together two weeks ago, leading the call for a 30-day flame and were supported by the so-called "Willing Alliance."

Ukrainian intelligence agency said it believes Russia may plan to conduct "training and combat" launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles overnight, an attempted intimidation.

Russia has not responded to the claim yet.

Reuters firefighters at a location outside Kiev, with a black wall and huge clouds of smoke covering themReuters

Firefighters from a location outside Kyiv were attacked on Sunday morning

Ukrainian officials said Saturday night's strike showed that Russia had no intention of stopping the war despite international ceasefire pressure.

"For Russia, the negotiations in Istanbul (Friday) are just a pretend. Putin wants a war," said Andriy Yermak, the supreme aide to the Ukrainian president.

After Türkiye's talks, Trump suggested that peace progress be achieved until he and Putin face to face.

The U.S. president has proposed a 30-day ceasefire deal that threatens stricter sanctions if Russia fails to comply.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said he was ready to accept a proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

But if Ukrainian military supplies were stopped, Russia would only agree to the fight.

Putin also said that any negotiation must include discussions about the causes of the war. Russia's clauses include Ukraine becoming a neutral country, reducing the size of its military and abandoning the ambitions of NATO members - Ukraine refused as a condition of surrender.

Moscow now controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed in 2014.

Zelensky held a private meeting with Pope Leo at the inauguration of the new pope on Sunday in the Vatican. He also briefly met with US Vice President JD Vance in Rome.

The Ukrainian leader said they talked about the “low-level” delegation sent to Turkey by Putin, “the need for sanctions against Russia” and how peace can be achieved.