Russia launches record number of drones at Ukraine after latest Trump-Putin phone call

 The smell of smoke and explosives saturated the air in Kyiv on Friday as residents emerged from shelters across the city following a record Russian drone attack that came just hours after US President Donald Trump said he had made “no progress” towards a ceasefire in a call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The massive aerial assault stuck multiple buildings and residential areas in the capital in what has been described by Ukrainian officials as one of the worst attacks of the three-year conflict.

At least one person died in the overnight attack, according to local Kyiv emergency services. Earlier Friday, city and military authorities said at least 23 people were wounded in the attack, which lasted 13 hours. Ukraine intercepted 476 out of a record 539 Russian drones, according to the country’s air force. It said Russia also launched 11 cruise and ballistic missiles. Sixty Russian drones were taken down by Ukraine’s new interceptor drones, regional officials said.

Thousands of residents spent the night in shelters, including in subway stations or underground parking lots, as explosions and the sound of drones echoed through the city in the early hours of Friday morning.

“Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv. One of the worst so far,” said Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “one of the most large-scale air attacks” the country had seen.

“Notably, the first air raid alerts in our cities and regions yesterday began to blare almost simultaneously with media reports discussing a phone call between President Trump and Putin,” Zelensky said. “Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror.”

Initially, the sound of the city’s air defenses and its new drone-to-drone interceptors could be heard working to thwart the Russian attack. But as the hours passed by, the relentless buzz of drones in the air continued and, later, the sounds of impacts could be heard.

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