LONDON — Russia and Ukraine once more exchanged a sequence of main in a single day drone strikes as the 2 sides maneuvered forward of a attainable resumption of ceasefire talks later this week.
Renewed talks — in the event that they do occur — would happen as each Kyiv and Moscow close to new data for the dimensions and depth of cross-border strikes, and as each side decide to additional scaling up long-range strike drone capabilities.
In Russia, the Protection Ministry stated Monday posts to Telegram that its forces downed 88 Ukrainian drones over seven Russian areas — together with 23 craft over Moscow area.
That adopted waves of Ukrainian assaults stretching from Saturday evening by Sunday, throughout which the Protection Ministry stated its forces shot down 221 drones — the very best each day whole reported by the ministry since June 6.
Sunday evening’s assaults prompted extra disruption at main airports, in keeping with Telegram posts by Artem Korenyako — a spokesperson for Russia’s federal aviation company Rosaviatsiya.
Firefighters work on the website of an house constructing hit by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 21, 2025.
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Korenyako stated short-term restrictions on flights have been launched at Moscow’s Zhukovsky, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports, in addition to the Strigino Worldwide Airport within the metropolis of Nizhny Novgorod, round 240 miles east of the capital.
Ukraine’s air power, in the meantime, stated Russia launched 426 strike and decoy drones into the nation in a single day, in addition to 24 missiles of assorted sorts. In a put up to Telegram, the air power stated 404 drones and all missiles have been intercepted or in any other case suppressed.
The air power added that 23 drones impacted in three places, whereas falling drone particles was reported in 12 places.
Kyiv was once more rocked by explosions. There, not less than one individual was killed and 9 folks injured, Kyiv Metropolis Army Administration head Timur Tkachenko stated in a put up to Telegram.
Six metropolis districts have been affected, Tkachenko stated, with residential buildings, a grocery store, a kindergarten and warehouse services have been amongst these broken and set ablaze.
The doorway to the Lukianivska metro station was additionally broken, Tkachenko stated. Residents of Kyiv retreat to metro stations nightly to shelter from Russian strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a put up to Telegram that the Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava and Kherson areas have been all affected.
Throughout the nation, not less than two folks have been killed and 15 injured, Zelenskyy stated.
“Solely actual strain on Russia can cease this aggression,” he wrote.
Each side are rising the dimensions of their assaults. To date in July, Russia has launched a complete of 4,929 drones and 148 missiles into Ukraine, in keeping with Ukraine’s air power — at a median of round 234 drones and 7 missiles every day.
June noticed 5,438 drones and 239 missiles fired into Ukraine, with a each day common of 181 drones and almost eight missiles.
A customer at an exhibition takes a photograph of components of an Iranian-made Shahed drone in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 27, 2025.
Alina Smutko/Reuters
And in Might, Russia launched a complete of three,835 drones and 117 missiles, for a median of round 124 drones and almost 4 missiles every day.
Although smaller in scale, Ukraine additionally seems to be rising the depth of its drone assaults into Russia. To date this month, the Protection Ministry in Moscow has reported downing 2,284 Ukrainian drones at a median of 108 per day.
In June, the ministry reported downing a complete of two,368 Ukrainian drones, with a median of virtually 79 drones per day throughout the month. These figures have been down from Might, throughout which the ministry stated it shot down 3,611 drones with a median of 116 per day.
Zelenskyy on Sunday appealed for brand spanking new talks with Russia searching for a ceasefire to finish Moscow’s full-scale invasion, in progress since February 2022 and nonetheless raging regardless of six months of efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to power an finish to the preventing.
Rustem Umerov, who final week was moved from his position as protection minister to function secretary of the Nationwide Safety and Protection Council, “reported that he has proposed one other assembly with the Russian facet for subsequent week,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
“The tempo of negotiations should be elevated,” the president stated. “Every part should be completed to attain a ceasefire. And the Russian facet should cease hiding from choices.”
On Sunday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov addressed Trump’s ultimatum — issued earlier this month — for Russia to comply with a ceasefire inside 50 days or face extra sanctions.
“Everyone seems to be already used to his moderately powerful and simple rhetoric,” Peskov informed journalists. “On the similar time, he confirms his intentions to do the whole lot attainable to contribute to peaceable settlement.”
“Actually, President [Vladimir] Putin has repeatedly spoken about his need to switch Ukrainian settlement to a peaceable route as quickly as attainable,” Peskov added. “It is a lengthy course of, it requires effort, and it’s not simple. And, more than likely, increasingly more folks in Washington perceive this.”
As to a attainable assembly between Trump and Putin, Peskov replied, “It’s attainable, and over time it is going to undoubtedly occur. It’s essential.”
An explosion of a Russian drone is seen in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 21, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
“Maybe will probably be essential for the fixation of some main agreements, which will probably be achieved over time, after an enormous quantity of labor has been completed,” he continued. “However this time has not but come. This work is but to be completed.”
“Russia is able to transfer quick,” Peskov stated. “The primary factor for us is to attain our objectives. Our objectives are clear, apparent, they don’t change. However the course of relies upon not solely on us.”
ABC Information’ Will Gretsky, Oleksiy Pshemyskiy and Tanya Stukalova and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
