Zelenskyy: Russia fired 1,560 drones overnight, killing three in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that rescue teams are still searching for survivors after Russian forces unleashed a massive assault on Ukraine, deploying more than 1,560 drones and missiles overnight. Ukrainian officials reported that these strikes claimed the lives of at least three individuals and injured 40 others across the nation.

The barrage concentrated heavily on the capital, Kyiv, where six districts and six surrounding areas suffered damage. In the south, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba noted that the offensive targeted critical infrastructure, including ports in the Odesa region and key railway lines.

President Zelenskyy detailed the scale of the destruction on X, highlighting a specific attack on a nine-storey building in Kyiv that left people trapped beneath the rubble. "In total, since midnight yesterday, Russia has used more than 1,560 drones against our cities and communities," he stated. He emphasized that such aggression contradicts any notion that the war is concluding and urged international partners to speak out against the strikes while maintaining air defense support.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, added that the injured list included two children. Al Jazeera correspondent Audrey Macalpine, reporting from the front lines, described the event as one of the largest single-day drone attacks of the conflict, noting the sheer volume of projectiles fired within a 36-hour window.

This escalation occurs despite recent diplomatic overtures. President Donald Trump had previously expressed tentative optimism for peace by arranging a three-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow. However, that truce collapsed after allegations of violations by both sides, prompting immediate retaliatory long-range drone attacks once the pause ended.

The Kremlin dismissed suggestions that President Vladimir Putin's comments about the war "heading to an end" signaled a shift in strategy. On Wednesday, Moscow reiterated its demand for a full Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region before any peace talks could proceed. Kyiv firmly rejected this condition, labeling it a form of capitulation that would undermine Ukraine's sovereignty.