Russia hits Ukraine with largest missile and drone barrage since war began

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00:00Well, Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight.

00:05At least 23 people were injured.

00:06Air raid alerts lasting all night long.

00:09Damage recorded in at least six of the capital, Kiev's 10 districts.

00:13It marks Moscow's largest missile and drone attack since a full-scale war began.

00:17And it came just hours after Donald Trump had spoken to Vladimir Putin about ways to end the war.

00:23For more, let's speak to our correspondent, Emmanuel Shaz.

00:24I'll let you, Emmanuel.

00:26It seems like every week now we're reporting on how Russia has carried out its new biggest attacks since the war began.

00:32What more can you tell us about these latest strikes?

00:38Well, indeed, it is a new record for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

00:43Over 530 drones, a dozen missiles launched at the country.

00:48But principally, it was Kiev that was the target.

00:53And last night really was held.

00:56The alert started at around 5 p.m.

00:58There was a reconnaissance drone first.

01:00And then dozens of drones started to lash out.

01:04They came from the northeast, mostly in the northern part of Ukraine.

01:10And in fact, it has just been hours of explosions across the city.

01:16And you could hear when drones were also changing altitude, changing directions.

01:22And that made it much more complicated for the Ukrainian air defense to intercept them.

01:27And this is exactly, precisely the worry of the Ukrainian government, of the Ukrainian population, which has to live under those bombs,

01:36is that Kiev will not have sufficient means to stop those barrages of drones,

01:43because there's one of the aims of those strikes, which is to saturate air defense.

01:48And in some cases, it does succeed.

01:51And one more thing on this strike, those strikes against the capital overnight here.

01:57You will not see it on the screen.

01:59But here, it is simply unbreathable.

02:02Authorities recommended to every citizen here to stay at home as much as possible,

02:08because of the particles that we can feel in the air following all those fires that started after drones, missile debris fell,

02:19sometimes on residential buildings.

02:2120 people have been injured.

02:24There's extensive damage also on infrastructures, railway infrastructures, as well,

02:30leading to traffic delays, congestions also in the streets.

02:36So it's just another night of hell for people here in Ukraine, and particularly here in the capital.

02:43Yeah, and Emmanuel, all this coming, of course, after Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin.

02:47Peace talks not making any progress.

02:52Not making any progress.

02:54And this morning, when President Zelenskyy talked about the overnight strikes,

02:58he pointed that actually the air raid alerts and the air raids launched by Russia started just as the phone call

03:06between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin started.

03:10For Ukraine, what Vladimir Putin seems to have said to Donald Trump is not surprising at all.

03:16Here on the ground, there is no sign of Russia wanting to implement a ceasefire.

03:22On the contrary, we see that Russia is increasing the amount of strikes, especially against civilian infrastructures.

03:29This has several goals.

03:31Of course, there's destruction.

03:33But also, there is an attempt to demoralize society and to try and force Kyiv into capitulation.

03:40It just won't happen yet.

03:42But you can see, even despite the authorities' warnings, life continues.

03:47People go to work in the morning, even if they had a sleepless night, and people are simply not ready to give up just yet,

03:55especially since, for example, Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered several times to the U.S.

04:00to buy the air defense systems that are so much needed here in Ukraine.

04:06Now, Ukraine will try and find a way of getting those air defense systems, be it by buying to the United States,

04:15be it by trying to use other systems as well, given by some of other allies of Kyiv.

04:23But, of course, there's the worry that the more of those strikes we will see,

04:27the less the Ukrainian air defense will manage to efficiently intercept missiles and drones.

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