London – Russia and Ukraine again exchanged a series of large drone attacks during the night when the two parties maneuvered before a possible resumption of high -fire conversations at the end of this week.
The renewed conversations, if happen, would be held since both kyiv and Moscow near new records for the scale and intensity of cross -border attacks, and as both parties are committed to further expand the capacities of long -range attack drones.
In Russia, the Ministry of Defense told Telegram on Monday that its forces knocked down 88 Ukrainian drones in seven Russian regions, including 23 crafts on the Moscow region.
That followed the waves of the Ukrainian attacks that extend from Saturday night until Sunday, during which the Ministry of Defense said that its forces knocked down 221 drones, the highest total daily reported by the Ministry since June 6.
The attacks on Sunday night caused more interruptions in the main airports, according to Artem Korenyako telegram posts, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Agency of Rosaviatsiya.
Firefighters work on the site of an apartment building run over by a Russian -crew aircraft strike in kyiv, Ukraine on July 21, 2025.
Ogirenko/Valenty Reuters
Korenyako said that temporary restrictions were introduced on flights at Zhukovsky, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports in Moscow, as well as at Strigino International Airport in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, around 240 miles east of the capital.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine Air Force said that Russia launched 426 strikes of strike and lure to the country during the night, as well as 24 missiles of various types. In a telegram post, the Air Force said that 404 drones and all missiles were intercepted or suppressed in another way.
The Air Force added that 23 drones affected in three locations, while the drop in drone waste were informed in 12 locations.
Kyiv was shaled again for explosions. There, at least one person was killed and nine people injured, said the head of the Military Administration of the city of kyiv, Timur Tkachenko, in a telegram position.
Six districts of the city were affected, said Tkachenko, with residential buildings, a supermarket, a garden of infants and warehouse facilities were among those damaged and burned.
The entrance to the Lukianivska Metro station was also damaged, said Tkachenko. Kyiv residents retire to subway stations every night to take refuge from Russian attacks.
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in a publication to telegrade that the Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Sumy, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovahrad, Mykola, Polaiv, Polaiv affected.
Throughout the country, at least two people died and 15 were injured, Zelenskyy said.
“Only real pressure on Russia can stop this aggression,” he wrote.
Both parties are increasing the scale of their attacks. Until now, in July, Russia has launched a total of 4,929 drones and 148 missiles in Ukraine, according to the Ukraine Air Force, to an average of around 234 drones and seven missiles every day.
June saw 5,438 drones and 239 missiles fired to Ukraine, with a daily average of 181 drones and almost eight missiles.
A visitor in an exhibition takes a photo of parts of a Shahed drone made by Iranian in kyiv, Ukraine, on June 27, 2025.
Alina Smökko/Reuters
And in May, Russia launched a total of 3,835 drones and 117 missiles, for an average of about 124 drones and almost four missiles every day.
Although it is smaller on a scale, Ukraine also seems to be increasing the intensity of his attacks with Drones to Russia. So far this month, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow has informed to demolish 2,284 Ukrainian drones to an average of 108 per day.
In June, the Ministry reported that it demolished a total of 2,368 Ukrainian drones, with an average of almost 79 drones per day during the month. These figures were May, during which the Ministry said it demolished 3,611 drones with an average of 116 per day.
Zelenskyy on Sunday requested new conversations with Russia looking for fire to end the large -scale invasion of Moscow, in progress since February 2022 and still furious despite the six months of efforts of the administration of President Donald Trump to force the end of the fighting.
Rustem Umerov, who last week moved from his role as Minister of Defense to serve as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, “he reported that he proposed another meeting with the Russian team for next week,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
“The rhythm of negotiations must increase,” said the president. “Everything must be done to achieve a high fire. And the Russian side must stop hiding from decisions.”
On Sunday, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, went to Trump’s ultimatum, issued earlier this month, so that Russia accepts a stop the fire within 50 days or in front of more sanctions.
“Everyone is already accustomed to their quite hard and direct rhetoric,” Peskov told reporters. “At the same time, he confirms his intentions to do everything possible to contribute to a peaceful settlement.”
“In fact, president [Vladimir] Putin has spoken repeatedly about his desire to transfer the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful route as soon as possible, “Peskov added.” This is a long process, requires effort and is not easy. And, most likely, more and more people in Washington understand this. “
As for a possible meeting between Trump and Putin, Peskov replied: “It is possible, and over time it will definitely happen. It is necessary.”
An explosion of a Russian drone is seen in kyiv, Ukraine, on July 21, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
“Perhaps it is necessary to set some important agreements, which will be achieved over time, after a large amount of work has been done,” he continued. “But this time has not yet arrived. This work has not yet been done.”
“Russia is ready to move quickly,” said Peskov. “The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear, obvious, do not change. But the process depends not only on us.”
ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Oleksiy Pshemyskiy and Tanya Stukalova and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
