Russia unleashes huge 948-drone bombardment at Ukraine in biggest 24-hour attack

Building on fire next to the Bernardine monastery in Ukraine (Image: AP)

Russia unleashed a devastating wave of drone strikes across Ukraine in the biggest aerial assault within a 24-hour period since the war began. A staggering 948 drones were launched at cities nationwide, with more than 400 of those fired in an unusual daytime blitz on Tuesday afternoon, leaving multiple people dead and scores injured across Western Ukraine.

The daylight strikes came just hours after a heavy overnight bombardment that killed at least five people. In the western city of Lviv, mayor Andriy Sadovyi said 22 residents were wounded, warning the toll was likely to rise as rescue efforts continued. Dramatic images shared by local officials showed a residential building engulfed in flames beside the historic Bernardine monastery, a 16th-century Unesco-listed site reportedly damaged in the attack. Elsewhere in western Ukraine, the cities of Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia and Ternopil were also hit. Regional chief Svitlana Onyshchuk said two people were killed in Ivano-Frankivsk, while four others - including a six-year-old child - were injured. Buildings across the city, including a maternity hospital, were damaged.

People carry an injured woman after Russian day time drone attack (Image: Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said a "large number of drones" entered Ukrainian airspace from the north, appearing to move in coordinated columns.

He added: "The geography of the strikes during the daytime was broader than at night... It can be said this was one of the largest attacks within a 24-hour period."

Nearly four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion, the conflict continues to rage, with Russian forces carrying out near-daily strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Black smoke rises after two Russian Shahed UAVs hit a residential building (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, the governor of Russia's Kursk region said one man was killed and 13 others were injured after a Ukrainian drone strike hit an agricultural enterprise.

Efforts to end the brutal conflict have also faltered. US-brokered peace talks aimed at securing a settlement have stalled since the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, raising fears the war could drag on.