Six Ukrainian regions targeted by Russia in one of war’s largest aerial attacks

Russia bombarded six regions of Ukraine on Friday in one of its largest aerial attacks of the three-year war, Ukrainian officials have said.

The night-time assault lasted for hours and killed three emergency responders in the capital Kyiv, according to authorities.

The barrage included 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said.

Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones.

Bombardment

Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations.

“Russia doesn’t change its stripes,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Mr Zelensky, as well as the Ukrainian interior ministry and the general prosecutor’s office, said three emergency workers were killed in Kyiv while responding to the Russian strikes.

“They were working under fire to help people,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

The war has continued unabated even as a US-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine.

The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting.

30-day ceasefire

Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Mr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and has not budged from its demands.

Mr Putin said in a phone call with US President Donald Trump earlier this week that he would respond to Ukraine’s daring long-range attack on Russian air bases on Sunday.

Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had aimed at Ukrainian military targets with “long-range precision weapons” and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets.

In Russia, air defences shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early on Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended during the night as a precaution.

Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said.

The Russian defence ministry said that air defences downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early on Friday.

It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea.