Ukraine has launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia since the war began more than four years ago. Ukrainian forces sent nearly 800 drones toward Russian targets, just two days after carrying out another large attack.
The attacks came at the same time as Russian missile strikes hit a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. At least 10 people were killed and eight others were injured. Several buildings were also damaged.
Both Russia and Ukraine are now using drones and long-range missiles more often. However, there has been little major change on the battlefield. Drones and ground robots have made it harder for both sides to move large numbers of soldiers and equipment.
Ukraine has developed many drones inside the country. Some of these drones can travel deep into Russian territory and attack important targets. Ukraine hopes these attacks will put pressure on the Russian government and the public and encourage President Vladimir Putin to agree to peace talks.
Russia, however, has shown no clear sign that it plans to stop the war. Russian air defense systems said they had destroyed or stopped many Ukrainian drones near Moscow. Some drones reached areas close to the Russian capital. Three people were reported injured.
Russian state media gave limited coverage to the attacks, even though Russian officials described them as a major drone assault.
Meanwhile, the Russian missile attack in Kharkiv caused heavy civilian casualties. Ukraine’s president said Russia would face a response for the attack.
In Ukraine’s Sumy region, Russian attacks also killed three people and injured three others.
The United Kingdom has said it will continue providing military support to Ukraine. Russia has warned that countries supplying weapons and drones to Ukraine could face consequences.
The latest attacks show that the war is increasingly becoming a battle of long-range missiles and drones, with both sides trying to strike targets far behind enemy lines while making limited progress on the ground.