Russia launches major drone attack against Ukraine on morning before Trump–Putin call

Russian forces carried out a major drone attack on Ukraine early Monday morning, launching a total of 112 UAVs, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

Ukrainian air defenses reportedly shot down 76 drones, while another 35 disappeared from radar and crashed without damaging infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian military, the attack affected the Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad regions.

In the Sumy region, local authorities said two people were injured in the Shostka hromada, including a 44-year-old security guard at a local business. Four residential homes were damaged. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service added that the Konotop hromada also came under attack, with fires breaking out in several non-residential buildings.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that it shot down 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 26 over annexed Crimea, eight over the Bryansk region, and one over the Belgorod region.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that a Ukrainian drone strike on a car in the town of Shebekino killed one local woman and left another in critical condition.

A day earlier, on the night of May 17–18, Russia launched its largest drone attack since the start of the full-scale war, sending 273 drones across Ukrainian territory.