Russia launches slew of drones at Ukraine

Over 200 Russian targets were shot down in the skies over Kyiv, Ukraine, from Thursday night to around 9 a.m. Friday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. In addition to the capital city, strikes also hit Ukraine’s Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions, according to Zelenskyy. Russia launched a total of about 550 drones and missiles in one of its largest attacks since the war began, he said.

Twenty-three people were wounded in the strikes, Zelenskyy said. At least one person died, according to the Kyiv Independent. But the Ukrainian military shot down about 200 aerial weapons and was able to electronically jam some drones, Zelenskyy said. New Ukrainian interceptor drones also took down some incoming Russian drones, he said. Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, also said his country successfully hit and damaged a military optics and mechanical manufacturing plant in Russia.

What else is new in the Russia-Ukraine war? The attacks came less than a day after U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone. The two reportedly discussed Ukraine and the Middle East. Putin reiterated that he would not agree to a ceasefire without eliminating what he called the root causes of the conflict, according to Russian state media.

The Pentagon on Tuesday said it was pausing the flow of some military assistance, including munitions, to Ukraine and other nations amid an inventory review. The weapons held back reportedly include Patriot missiles and Stinger air-defense systems, according to the Kyiv Independent.