Russia launches 110 attack drones into Ukraine amid high-level allied visits

LONDON -- Ukraine's air force said it recorded 110 Russian attack drones launched into the country overnight into Monday morning.

Massed Russian drone barrages have become a nightly occurrence in recent months as winter approaches and Moscow targets Ukraine's energy grid -- as it did in the two previous winters of its full-scale invasion of the country.

Ukraine's air force said in a Telegram post early Monday that it downed 52 drones and 50 more were lost in flight. Six flew into either Russian or Belarusian airspace, while one more was still in the sky above Ukraine, the air force said.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service said a drone hit a residential building in the western city of Ternopil, killing at least one person and injuring three others.

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least 17 Ukrainian UAVs over western Russia overnight. Ukraine has also been expanding its long-range attacks deep into Russia, particularly on military bases and oil facilities.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X on Sunday that his nation is facing sustained "Russian aerial terror." The past week, he said, has seen Russia use "more than 500 guided aerial bombs, nearly 660 strike drones and approximately 120 missiles of various types against us."

December began with high-level diplomatic visits to Kyiv despite the ongoing Russian bombardments.

European Council President Antonio Costa and chief diplomat Kaja Kallas arrived in Kyiv Sunday to underscore the bloc's support for Ukraine. Ukraine's need for more Western air defense systems was among the topics discussed, Zelenskyy said later.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz likewise arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Monday morning. His visit is the first to the country for two-and-a-half years and is expected to include an announcement of a major new military aid package for Kyiv worth some $680 million.