Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced renewed military support for Kyiv and sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance on peace talks, CNN reported.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 741 drones were deployed in the overnight barrage, shattering the previous record of 539 drones set on July 4. Despite the scale of the attack, air defense systems intercepted 718 of the drones, limiting the damage. No deaths were reported, though a woman in Brovary, near Kyiv, was hospitalized with chest injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the assault as a deliberate show of force from Moscow, underscoring Russia’s resistance to peace efforts.
“This is a demonstrative attack, and it comes at a time when there have been so many attempts to achieve peace and ceasefire, but Russia rejects everything,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “Everyone who wants peace must act.”
The primary target appeared to be the city of Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine, prompting Poland to scramble military aircraft in response to the spillover threat near its airspace. “Virtually everything was flying towards Lutsk,” said Ivan Rudnitskyi, head of the Volyn region's military administration.
Ukraine also responded with its own drone strike overnight, launching 86 drones into Russian territory, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
The dramatic escalation came as President Trump, during a heated Cabinet meeting, accused Putin of insincerity in peace negotiations.
“We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
On Monday, Trump pledged to resume weapons deliveries to Ukraine, including urgently needed Patriot missile systems. This followed reports that the U.S. had paused certain shipments last week, a decision made without informing Trump, according to five sources familiar with internal deliberations.
“We’re going to send some more weapons,” Trump said. “They’re getting hit very hard. We have to help them defend themselves.”
The Pentagon later confirmed that, on Trump’s orders, additional defensive weapons were being sent to Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who authorized last week’s pause in aid, did so independently, further highlighting the internal discord within the U.S. administration on Ukraine policy.
The latest attack underscores both Russia’s intensifying military campaign and the geopolitical friction surrounding international efforts to end the war.
