Russia launched a sweeping overnight barrage across eight Ukrainian regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, as local officials reported that more than two dozen civilians, including three children, were wounded in the attacks.
According to Zelenskyy, Russian forces unleashed 524 attack drones along with 22 ballistic and cruise missiles in one of the war’s latest large-scale aerial assaults. The central city of Dnipro and the surrounding region suffered the heaviest damage, authorities said.
Local residents walk past a damaged residential building following an air attack amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dnipro, Ukraine, May 18, 2026. (AFP Photo)
The strikes marked another escalation in the intensifying cycle of long-range attacks that has continued despite a May 9-11 ceasefire proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and discussed with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The brief truce appeared to have little effect, with no clear progress toward a peace agreement despite ongoing U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s invasion.
Russia has stepped up its bombardment campaign in recent days. Last week, strikes flattened a residential apartment building in Kyiv, killing 24 people.
