Russia launches massive drone strike on Ukraine as it begins talks with US
LONDON -- Russia launched an unusually large drone attack on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, shortly before Moscow's representatives opened talks with a U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia on ending Russia's three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine's air force said Russia sent 176 drones -- just shy of a 188-drone record set in November -- into the country overnight, launched from six different directions.
Monday night's barrage -- notable for its scale -- came as Russia negotiators prepared to meet with American counterparts in Saudi Arabia for talks intended to revive peace negotiations. Ukrainian representatives were not invited to attend.
The air force said on Telegram that it shot down 103 drones with another 67 lost in flight due to jamming and other interference measures. Falling debris and impacts were reported in the Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Cherkasy regions, the air force said.
In Kirovohrad, the regional military administration said it was "a difficult night," reporting a drone strike on a high-rise building in the city of Dolynska. Three people were injured -- a mother and two children -- officials said.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a large fire in the west of the city was sparked by falling Russian drone debris.
"There is a fire on the territory of an industrial enterprise," Klitschko wrote on Telegram. "Also, cars are burning in the yard of a residential building nearby."
Russian long-range drone and missile strikes are a nightly occurrence across Ukraine, with Moscow often targeting key infrastructure facilities -- especially industrial and energy targets.
The U.S. team is being led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz.
The Russian negotiating delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund.
Ukraine is also continuing its own long-range strike campaign against Russia, which Kyiv's Special Operations Forces (SSO) and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have termed "drone sanctions."
The SBU and SSO said on Monday they attacked the Ilsk Oil Refinery and the Kropotkinskaya Oil Pumping Station in southern Russia.
"Russian oil refineries and oil pumping stations are completely legitimate targets," an informed SBU source told ABC News. "They not only work for the Russian defense industry, supplying fuel to enemy troops, but are also important for the Russian economy, which finances the war thanks to oil surpluses. Therefore, drone visits to these facilities will continue."
On Tuesday morning, Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down five Ukrainian drones.
ABC News' Natalia Popova contributed to this report.
