Russia pounds Ukraine with 300 drones as Zelenskyy seeks a ceasefire in 3-year-long war

Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine overnight into Saturday with hundreds of drones, killing at least one person, part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that Russia fired over 300 drones, along with more than 30 cruise missiles.

One person died in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, which was hit with more than 20 drones and a missile, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov wrote on Telegram, while five people were rescued when a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building.

According to Zelenskyy, six other people were wounded in the attack on Odesa, including a child, and critical infrastructure was damaged in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

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The Ukrainian president also thanked international leaders “who understand how important it is to promptly implement our agreements” aimed at boosting Ukraine’s defense capabilities, including joint weapons production, drone manufacturing and the supply of air defense systems.

Russia has been intensifying its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. It now often batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones — a record.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 71 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 13 drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital.

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In other developments, Ukraine’s foreign minister accused Russia on Saturday of deporting Ukrainian citizens into Georgia and leaving them stranded without proper identification.

Andrii Sybiha said Moscow has escalated the practice of expelling Ukrainians — many of whom are former prisoners — across its southern border with Georgia, instead of returning them directly to Ukraine.

“Dozens of people, many of whom lack proper documentation, have been stuck in the transit zone,” he wrote on X. There was no immediate response from Moscow.