In what was considered the largest airstrike since the beginning of the conflict, Russian forces simultaneously launched 367 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles at many cities in Ukraine, including the capital Kiev.
According to Reuters, the attack on May 25 killed at least 12 people and injured dozens others.
Ukrainian authorities said that among the dead were three children in the northern area of Zhytomyr. Home Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed 12 deaths and about 60 injuries. Previously, local sources and rescue forces had given the death toll as 13.
"This is a combined attack on civilians," Mr. Klymenko wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia used 298 UAVs and 69 missiles in the overnight attack, of which 266 UAVs and 45 missiles were shot down by air defense forces. However, damage is still widespread in many regional centers, including the second largest city of Kharkiv, the city of Mykolaiv to the south and Ternopil to the west.
In the capital Kiev, head of the city's military administration, Mr. Tymur Tkachenko, said that 11 people were injured in the UAV attacks, but no people were killed in the inner city. However, four people have died in the area around the city, according to local officials.
The city of Kharkiv, located in northeastern Ukraine, also suffered heavy damage. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the UAVs attacked three districts in the city, injuring three people. The pressure from the explosions caused the glass doors of many high-rise apartments to break.
In Mykolaiv, a southern city, Russian UAVs killed a 77-year-old man and injured five others. The local governor released images showing an apartment building with a large hole dug in it due to an explosion, with a pile of debris scattered on the ground.
In the western Khmelnytskyi area, far from the front line, four people were killed and five others were injured, the local governor said.
This is the second largest airstrike in 2 days. Russia has previously launched dozens of UAVs and ballistic missiles at Kiev in consecutive lanes throughout the night.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for international support. He criticized the international community, especially the US, for remaining silent on Russia's actions and called for further sanctions against Russia.
According to Reuters, Russia also recorded attacks from Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defense forces shot down or destroyed 95 Ukrainian UAVs within four hours. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the 12 UAVs were stopped en route to the Russian capital.
The fierce attack comes as Ukraine and Russia prepare to enter the final day of the Prisoner exchange, with each side expected to hand over 1,000 people.
In that context, efforts by Ukraine and its European allies to promote a 30-day ceasefire were hampered, with President Donald Trump refusing to impose further sanctions on Moscow for not agreeing to immediately end the fighting.
