Moscow: Ukrainian Drone Strikes Increase Sharply Amid Renewed Negotiations

The number of Ukrainian drone and Western-made missile attacks on Russian targets has increase dramatically since May 20, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. The ministry accused Ukraine and certain European countries of attempting to derail the peace negotiations.

"On the initiative of the Russian Federation, direct Russian-Ukrainian dialogue on a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine was resumed. The Kyiv regime, with the support of some European countries, has taken a series of provocative steps aimed at sabotaging the negotiation process,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine use drones and Western-supplied rocket munitions to strike Russian civilian infrastructure, the department also said.

Between 8:00 PM Moscow time on May 20 and 8:00 AM on May 27, Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 2,331 attack drones, including 1,465 outside the active combat zone.

"As a result of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian regions, civilians, including women and children, have been injured,” the ministry said.

In response, Russian forces launched strikes using precision-guided weapons from air, sea, and land platforms, as well as attack drones, targeting sites in Ukraine. The Defense Ministry emphasized that only military facilities and defense industry enterprises were targeted.

According to the ministry, the strikes on Ukrainian targets took place from May 20 to May 26. Reuters previously reported that an overnight air assault on May 25 was the largest since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Explosions were heard in Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipropetrovsk region, with additional attacks in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Ternopil.