Russia launches biggest number of drones since invasion began, Ukraine air force says
Russia has launched the biggest number of drones on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion three years ago, Ukraine's air force says.
The air force said 472 drones were launched over Ukraine.
Yuriy Ignat, head of communications for the Ukrainian air force, said Russian forces also launched seven missiles alongside the barrage of drones.
Earlier on Sunday, local time, Ukraine's army said at least 12 Ukrainian service members were killed and more than 60 were injured in a Russian missile strike on an army training unit.
The training unit is located to the rear of the 1,000-kilometre active front line, where Russian reconnaissance and drones can strike.
An investigative commission was created to uncover the circumstances around the attack that led to such a loss in personnel, according to the air force.
Ukraine's forces suffer from manpower shortages and take extra precautions to avoid mass gatherings as the skies across the front line are saturated with Russian drones looking for targets.
The SBU, Ukraine's domestic security agency, conducted a large drone attack on over 40 Russian military aircraft on the same day, an SBU official told Reuters.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the struck aircraft included Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers, which Russia uses to fire long-range missiles at Ukraine.
Reuters could not immediately verify the statement.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes were reported deep in Russian territory on Sunday, including in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, more than 4,500 kilometres east of Moscow.
It is the first time that a Ukrainian drone has been seen in the region, local governor Igor Kobzeva said, indicating that it did not present a threat to civilians.
Other drone strikes were also reported in Russia's Ryazan region and the Arctic Murmansk region. No casualties were reported.
Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In a statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Defence Minister Rustem Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation.
Ukrainian officials had previously called on the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the war before the meeting takes place. Moscow had said it would share its memorandum during the talks.
The Russian delegation had also departed for Istanbul for the next round of talks with Ukraine scheduled for June 2, state-run RIA news agency reported on Sunday.
AP/Reuters
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