Russia says it intercepted 1,198 drones as overnight strikes kill civilians in Ukraine and Russia

Russia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed 1,198 Ukrainian drones overnight, in what it described as one of the largest waves launched by Kyiv since the war began. Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, reported that Russian strikes killed and wounded civilians in several locations, including Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Rivne. The exchange of attacks came as diplomacy intensified in US-led efforts to end the war, which is approaching its fifth year.

According to Russia's defence ministry, the drones were shot down over more than 15 regions. Local authorities in Russia's Volgograd region said four people working in an industrial zone died, with the area home to an oil refinery and a chemical factory. In Ukraine, a hospital in Kyiv was damaged after a strike triggered a fire and forced people to take shelter, while one person was wounded there.

Officials in Odesa said two people were killed and five injured, with private homes and cars damaged. Further casualties were reported in the southeast city of Zaporizhzhia, where acting regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said a 17-year-old boy was killed and four people were wounded after rescuers pulled them from under rubble. In Rivne, in northwestern Ukraine, a strike damaged a pre-school and wounded six people, including two children.

The reported attacks underline how the conflict continues to affect both front-line and more distant areas, despite repeated claims by both sides that they are targeting military or strategic infrastructure. The latest strikes also highlight the growing role of drones in the war. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the past year and a half, saying it aims to reduce revenues that help finance Moscow's war effort.

Russia, for its part, has continued to launch aerial barrages against Ukraine's energy grid, leaving residents in some areas without power as temperatures fall. The pattern has made civilian infrastructure a recurring target of damage and disruption on both sides. The attacks came a day after high-level talks in Moscow between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The envoys later travelled to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the report. That timing gives the overnight violence added significance, because it shows the fighting continuing even as diplomatic efforts are under way. It also suggests that neither side is yet prepared to scale back military pressure while negotiations remain unresolved.

What remains unclear is whether the latest wave will lead to any immediate change in the pace of strikes or in the talks aimed at ending the war. The full extent of damage in the affected areas has not been confirmed, and casualty figures may still change as rescue work continues. It is also not clear whether either side will respond with further attacks in the coming hours.

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