[ad_1]
Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – Russia launched its biggest drone attack on Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian officials said it was part of an escalating bombing campaign that further shattered hopes of efforts to end the war three years ago.
On the third night of a serious air bombing, US President Donald Trump said he was “crazy” by assaulting Russian leader Vladimir Putin and increasing his attack on Ukraine.
The expansion of the Russian air campaign looked like another set of US-led peace efforts, as it appears to have decided to acquire more Ukrainian territory and cause more damage. It was proposed by the US after Kiev accepted an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in March, but Moscow effectively rejected it.
This month alone, Russia has broken Ukraine’s air shelling record three times.
Russia is also pushing along the frontline of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), where it is slowly and costly progressing, gathering strength for its summer attacks, analysts say.
“Only a sense of complete immunity can allow Russia to carry out such attacks and escalate their scale on a continuous basis,” Ukrainian Voldimia Zelenki wrote in the telegram on Monday. “This doesn’t have any important military logic, but it has quite a political implication.”
Large bombardment splate
The Russian artillery fire on Sunday night included 355 drones, head of the Ukrainian Air Force’s communications division, Yuriy Ihnat, told The Associated Press, calling it the biggest of the war.
The night before, Russia fired 298 drones and 69 missiles after Ukrainian officials said it was the biggest air attack in the conflict. From Friday to Sunday, Russia launched around 900 drones in Ukraine, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry said Monday that its forces fired down 103 Ukrainian drones overnight flying across the southern part of the country, including the Moscow suburbs, and western Russia. Russia’s federal air transport said flights 32, scheduled to land at three Moscow airports on Sunday and Monday, had to be detoured amid the Ukrainian drone attack.
Numbers from Ukraine and Russia could not be independently verified.
Soon after the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the conflict became an increasingly sophisticated drone warfare test ground. Drones generally produce cheaper than missiles.
Russia has been receiving Iranian-made Shahed drones since 2022 and is now believed to be producing its own version. Ukraine not only received small battlefield drones from its allies to make up for the shortage of its military, but also developed its own long-range drones for strikes deep within Russia.
Meanwhile, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said on Monday, “There is no more limit on the scope of weapons delivered to Ukraine. There is no limit on the scope, either by British, French, us, Americans, or by Americans.”
“That means Ukraine can defend itself by, for example, attacking Russian military status. Until a while ago, it couldn’t…were not able to do it now,” he said.
It was not clear whether Meltz mentioned relaxing long-range weapons restrictions late last year. Before becoming prime minister, Merz called on Germany to supply Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Kiev, whom his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, refused to do so.
Commenting on Mertz’s statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision to lift the scope restrictions was “very dangerous” and “contrary to efforts to reach a political reconciliation.”
Europeans are threatening sanctions
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the latest Russian bombardment “shown the extent to which Putin lied to Europeans and Americans.”
He told reporters during his visit to Vietnam that Ukrainian allies will receive US support, “to make sure that he is ultimately lying, that there will be massive retaliation, especially in terms of sanctions.”
Kaja Karas, the head of foreign policy, the European Union’s top diplomat, also said the bloc was intended to impose more sanctions on Moscow, calling Russia’s latest attack “completely horrifying.”
Trump is also threatening massive sanctions, but has not taken action so far. However, he revealed he had lost his patience with Putin on Sunday night.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but something happened to him. He’s absolutely crazy!” Trump wrote in a social media post.
Trump said Putin “kills many people unnecessary,” noting that “the missiles and drones are being shot by Ukrainian cities for no reason.”
The US President also expressed his dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy, saying, “I will not do my own country by speaking about my country.”
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Putin made the decisions necessary to ensure Russia’s security, and that the attack was Moscow’s response to a string of deep strikes by Ukraine.
He said negotiations are in “a critical moment related to emotional overload and emotional response for everyone.”
Russia and Ukraine traded hundreds more prisoners on Sunday in the third and final parts of the main exchange. In the biggest exchange of war, each released over 1,000 prisoners (soldiers and civilians).
___
Brussels Associated Press Writer Lorne Cook, John Leicester in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
___
Follow the AP’s report on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
[ad_2]Source link
