Russian forces attack Ukraine in largest air strike yet

Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian regions overnight with drones and missiles in one of the largest aerial attacks the war has seen to date, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens.

According to Reuters, 298 drones and 69 missiles were launched onto Ukrainian cities overnight on May 25th, including the capital Kyiv. The country’s security service reported that at least 4 people were killed and 16 injured in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s emergency services also reported that three children were amongst the dead in the northern region of Zhytomyr, with another individual killed in the southern city of Mykolaiv.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that it had been “a difficult Sunday morning Ukraine after a sleepless night. The most massive Russian air attack in many weeks lasted all night”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reached out to the United States, which, since President Trump’s office, has taken a softer approach towards Russia with Vladimir Putin at the helm.

Zelenskyy publicly urged against the passivity of the US on Telegram, saying: “The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin”.

“Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia.”

The attack was the largest of the war since it started in 2022 in terms of weaponry, despite other strikes having killed more individuals.

The attack came at a time where Ukraine and Russia were due to engage in a prisoner swap, whereby the respective sides will exchange 1000 prisoners each.

Ukraine, along with European allies, have attempted to encourage Moscow into signing a 30-day ceasefire deal in a bid to negotiate peace and an end to the war. This was halted by Trump’s recent refusal to place further sanctions on Russia for not agreeing to an immediate ceasefire, at the wish of Kyiv.

“Without pressure, nothing will change and Russia and its allies will only build up forces for such murders in Western countries,” the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.

“Moscow will fight as long as it has the ability to produce weapons.”

Reuters/Al Jazeera