Russia Launches Largest wave of Strikes on Ukraine in weeks

By Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1955 EAT on Thursday 21 August 2025

KYIV — Russia has launched one of its heaviest aerial assaults in weeks, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles across Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.

The barrage struck multiple regions, killing one person in a combined drone and missile attack on the western city of Lviv. In the southwestern Transcarpathia region, at least 15 people were reported injured.

The wave of attacks comes as former U.S. President Donald Trump leads a new diplomatic push to end the conflict. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strikes underscored the urgency of renewed peace efforts, calling them “a stark reminder of why ending this war is so critical.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Ukraine is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for direct talks in a neutral European location—suggesting Switzerland or Austria as potential venues, while also expressing openness to Istanbul.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed readiness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “in any format,” though he ruled out Budapest as a potential host city, saying the Hungarian capital “is not easy today.”

The prospect of direct peace talks gained traction following a high-profile meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska. Trump later hosted Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday in what observers describe as a coordinated diplomatic effort to revive stalled negotiations.

Initially advocating for trilateral talks involving himself, Putin, and Zelensky, Trump has since revised his position. “Now I think it would be better if they met without me,” he said. “If necessary, I’ll go.”

The diplomatic push comes amid a dramatic escalation on the battlefield. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 614 drones and missiles overnight into Thursday—the largest aerial assault since July. Of those, 577 were intercepted, according to Ukrainian military officials.

While Russian attacks typically target eastern regions near the front lines, this latest barrage extended deep into Ukraine’s western territories, including the cities of Lviv and Uzhhorod, signaling a broader strategic shift.

Since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has seized control of much of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, including the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. Today, Russian forces occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed in 2014.

The latest wave of missile and drone attacks — the largest since July — has drawn renewed attention to the scale and complexity of the conflict. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles were among the weapons used in the overnight barrage.

According to Ukraine’s air force, the strikes originated from multiple directions, including western Russia, the Black Sea, and occupied Crimea.

In the western Lviv region, one person was killed and three others injured in attacks that damaged more than 20 civilian structures, including homes and a nursery school. In the far southwestern town of Mukachevo, near the borders with Hungary and Slovakia, cruise missiles struck a facility operated by a U.S. electronics manufacturer, injuring 15 people.

“One of the missiles struck a major American electronics manufacturer in our westernmost region, leading to serious damage and casualties,” Sybiha said in a statement posted on social media Thursday. Local officials said the plant produces coffee machines and other consumer appliances.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to reporters the same day, said there had been no indication from Moscow that it was serious about engaging in “substantive negotiations” to end the war.

Zelensky also expressed skepticism about holding potential peace talks in Budapest, pointing to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s close relationship with the Kremlin. “I’m not saying that Orbán’s policy was against Ukraine, but it was against supporting Ukraine,” he said.

Budapest has recently emerged as a possible venue for negotiations. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said the capital was ready to provide “appropriately fair and safe conditions” for talks, should they take place.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russian forces are massing along the southern front line in the Zaporizhzhia region — one of four Ukrainian territories that Moscow claims to have annexed.

“We can see that they continue transferring part of their troops from the Kursk direction to Zaporizhzhia,” Zelensky told reporters, signaling concerns over a possible renewed Russian offensive in the south.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said it had carried out a series of cross-border strikes, targeting an oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, which borders the occupied Donbas. Ukrainian forces also claimed to have hit a Russian drone depot in the eastern city of Donetsk, along with several other military and infrastructure sites in occupied territory.

Despite fierce fighting, the front lines have remained largely static in recent months, with only limited territorial shifts. The grinding stalemate has led to a shift in tactics, with Russia escalating its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure — particularly as diplomatic efforts to end the war gather momentum.

Ukraine suffered its largest aerial assault of the war in early July, when 728 drones and 13 missiles struck multiple cities in coordinated waves.

Following the latest wave of attacks, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha renewed Kyiv’s appeal for additional air defense systems from Western allies. “We urgently need more systems to protect our skies and prevent further civilian casualties,” he said.

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