
Russia fired a record 479 drones at Ukraine in an overnight aerial barrage, Kyiv's air force said on Monday, the latest massive attack as Moscow rejects calls for a ceasefire.
The attack caused damage in several Ukrainian regions, though there were no reports of people killed or mass casualties.
"Enemy air strikes were recorded in 10 spots," the Ukrainian air force said.
The mayor of the western city of Rivne, Oleksandr Tretyak, called it "the largest attack" on the region since the start of the war.
Russia has escalated its attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks, which Kyiv says demonstrate that Moscow has no intention of halting its three-year-long invasion and is not serious about peace talks.
The barrages have raised concerns about the capacity of Ukraine's stretched air defense systems.
But the air force said that it shot down or intercepted 460 of the drones, as well as 19 out of 20 missiles fired by Russia overnight.
Work at an electronics factory in Russia's Chuvashia region, some 600 kilometres east of Moscow, was briefly suspended on Monday after a Ukrainian drone attack, local officials said.
Moscow said falling debris from intercepted drones fell on the facility, while Ukraine claimed a direct hit on the site.
"This morning, Ukrainian attempts to use drones in Chuvashia were detected," regional governor Oleg Nikolayev wrote on Telegram.
"Two drones fell on the territory of the VNIIR factory," said Nikolayev, adding that there were no casualties.
The site is one of the main factories producing electronic components in Russia.
Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement that it had targeted "a military-industrial complex facility, where antennas for Shahed (drones) were manufactured".
Russia fires dozens of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones at Ukrainian cities on a daily basis.
Ukraine regularly launches retaliatory drone strikes in response to Moscow's aerial bombardments, which began with its full-scale offensive into Ukrainian territory more than three years ago.
"Strikes on the facilities that support the armed aggression of the Russian Federation will continue until it is completely stopped," Ukraine's General Staff added.
Governor Nikolayev said that the decision had been taken to "temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees".
Russia's defense ministry said it intercepted 49 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Ukraine said it shot down "dozens" of Russian drones over its western Rivne region.
The massive Russian attack saw Ukraine's western neighbour Poland scramble fighter jets to secure its airspace, Warsaw's Operational Command said in a statement on social media.
With AFP
Comments