Ukraine launched more than 280 drones at Russia overnight on Friday, marking one of Kyiv’s largest barrages since the beginning of the conflict, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported on Saturday, citing the defence ministry.

According to Russian officials, a total of 283 drones were intercepted across multiple regions. Around 90 drones were shot down over the southern Rostov region, its governor Yuri Slyusar reported on Telegram. In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that 27 drones aimed at the capital had been intercepted.

In the southwestern Saratov region, drone strikes damaged several houses and injured two people, Governor Roman Busargin said. Russian authorities emphasized that most of the drones were neutralized before reaching their intended targets, minimizing casualties and damage.

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Kyiv has regularly launched drone and missile strikes into Russian territory in retaliation for daily attacks on Ukraine since 2022. Ukrainian officials say these operations primarily target military and energy infrastructure rather than civilian areas.

The drone attacks come as Ukrainian and US negotiators are set to meet in the United States on Saturday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The talks aim to revive stalled negotiations with Russia to bring an end to the four-year conflict.

Zelensky said Ukrainian negotiators will seek clarity from US officials on the next round of three-way talks with Russia, which were postponed due to the recent crisis in the Middle East. The ongoing strikes and diplomatic efforts underscore Kyiv’s dual strategy of maintaining pressure on Russia while pursuing negotiations to end the war.

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