Russia launches record number of drones into Ukraine

Russia launched more strike drones into Ukraine overnight on Saturday than in any other single attack of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, one day before the three-year anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Writing on social media, Mr Zelensky said 267 strike drones had been sent in what he called “the largest attack since Iranian drones began hitting Ukrainian cities and villages”.

Ukraine’s air force said 138 drones had been shot down over 13 Ukrainian regions, with 119 more lost en route to their targets.

Three ballistic missiles had also been fired, the air force said. One person was killed in a missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih, according to the head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration.

Every day, our people stand against aerial terror. On the eve of the third anniversary of the full-scale war, Russia launched 267 attack drones against Ukraine — the largest attack since Iranian drones began striking Ukrainian cities and villages. In total, nearly 1,150 attack… pic.twitter.com/YvCNuZorvX

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 23, 2025

The attack came as leaders in Kyiv and across Europe are seeking to navigate rapid changes in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.

In a matter of days he has upended years of firm support for Ukraine, leading to fears that he would join with Moscow to force a settlement to the war without involving Ukraine and its European backers.

Mr Trump’s engagement with Russian officials and his agreement to reopen diplomatic ties and economic cooperation with Moscow marked a dramatic about-face in US policy, which had previously sought to isolate Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, over the war.

Mr Zelensky has expressed fears that Mr Trump pushing a quick resolution would result in lost territory for Ukraine and vulnerability to future Russian aggression, though US officials have said he would be involved if and when peace talks actually start.

Mr Trump, however, prompted alarm and anger in Ukraine when this week he suggested that Kyiv had started the war, and that Mr Zelensky was acting as a “dictator”, since the country has not held elections in accordance with Ukrainian legislation prohibiting them during martial law.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister on Saturday said preparations were under way for a Trump-Putin meeting, a further sign that the Russian leader’s isolation, at least for the Trump administration, was beginning to thaw.

Mr Zelensky and other officials will take part in a forum in Kyiv on Sunday where they will discuss the state of the country a day before the war reaches its three-year mark.

Ukrainians have come a long way. And this year, we must do everything possible and impossible to achieve a real peace—peace with security guarantees for our state, with guarantees of dignity and respect for all our people—for everyone who has lived, lives and will live in… pic.twitter.com/vTR2GQFcO9

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 23, 2025

Mr Zelensky will conclude the forum with a news conference.

The forum comes at a sensitive moment for Kyiv as Mr Trump’s administration pushes Ukraine’s leaders to agree to a deal that would allow the US to access Ukrainian rare earth minerals, a proposal Mr Zelensky earlier declined to accept because it lacked specific security guarantees.

“We must do our utmost to bring a lasting and just peace to Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky wrote on social media on Sunday.

“This is possible with the unity of all partners – we need the strength of all of Europe, the strength of America, the strength of all who want a reliable peace.”

Meanwhile Mr Putin, in a special televised message Sunday, praised Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine for defending “their native land, the national interests and the future of Russia”.

Mr Putin’s speech marked Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day, which falls a day before the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

He used the holiday greeting to pledge greater social support for military personnel and new weapons and equipment for Russian forces.

“Today, as the world is changing impetuously, our strategic course for strengthening and developing the armed forces remains unchanged,” he said, adding that Russia would continue to develop its armed forces “as the essential part of Russia’s security that guarantees its sovereign present and future”.