Ukraine says Russia launched 479 drones in war’s biggest overnight bombardment

Fire and smoke rise from the site where a Russian missile struck a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. Picture: Anatolii Lysianskyi/AP

Russia launched 479 drones at Ukraine in the war’s biggest overnight drone bombardment, the Ukrainian air force said on Monday.

Apart from drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air defences destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles in mid-flight, an air force statement said, claiming that only 10 drones or missiles hit their target.

It was not possible to independently verify the claim.

Russia’s aerial attacks usually start late in the evening and end in the morning, because drones are harder to spot in the dark.

Russia has relentlessly battered civilian areas of Ukraine with Shahed drones during the more than three-year war. The attacks have killed more that 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations.

Russia says it targets only military targets.