Massive Russian drone, missile attack kills 1, injures 26 in Ukrainian cities far from front line despite peace talks
Russia launched a wave of missiles and drones targeting cities in western Ukraine, far from the front line, on Aug. 21, killing at least one and injuring 26. The attack caused fires at a large electronics plant in Mukachevo, with damage also reported in other cities, including Lviv.
The attack comes as Moscow continues to unleash daily attacks on Ukrainian civilians, despite the leader-level peace talks with the U.S. just six days prior.
"Last night, the Russian army set one of its crazy anti-records," President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the attack.
Russia launched 574 drones overnight, including Shahed attack drones and decoys, as well as 40 missiles, among them four Kh-47 Kinzhal ballistic missiles and two Iskander-M or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 546 drones and 31 missiles, according to the statement.
Explosions were reportedly heard in Rivne Oblast overnight on Aug. 21 as Russia launched bombers and drones, prompting an air raid alert to be issued across all of Ukraine.
Three explosions were heard in Rivne Oblast as Russian MiG-31 fighter jets capable of launching Kinzhal ballistic missiles reportedly took off.
Rivne Oblast in western Ukraine sits far from the front lines and is located about 304 kilometers (390 miles) west of Kyiv.
Meanwhile, drones were flying in the airspace over the outskirts of Kyiv, the city's military administration reported at 3:48 a.m. local time.
Air defenses were operating in Ukraine's capital amid the Russian attack, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported at 3:55 a.m.
Ukraine's Air Force first reported that dozens of Russian drones were making their way towards western Ukraine, including the Lviv, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi oblasts.
Explosions were also heard in the far-western Ukrainian cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Mukachevo, media reported.
In Lviv Oblast, a Shahed drone was spotted over the Zolochiv district, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said.
Air defenses were operating in the region, Kozytskyi later reported at about 4:30 a.m. local time. Additional explosions were heard in Lviv at about 4:49 a.m. local time, Suspilne reported.
Russia carried out a combined missile and drone attack on Lviv, killing one person and injuring three others, reported following the attack.
Dozens of houses were damaged, he said.
In Mukachevo, a commercial site was hit and emergency services responded at the scene, local authorities reported.
The Mukachevo City Council later advised residents to keep their windows closed and stay indoors due to a fire caused by a Russian missile strike.
The site hit in the attack appears to be a plant operated by Flex, which houses about 800 personnel for its night shift, an employee of the plant told the Kyiv Independent.
Most of the factory's staff evacuated to on-site modular concrete shelters when an air raid alert first went off, they said.
The plant does not produce any goods for the defense sector, and buildings at the site will likely burn down as a result of the Russian attack, the plant employee added.
Zelensky confirmed that Russia struck an American enterprise with several cruise missiles.
"It was an ordinary civilian company with American investments. They produced everyday household items, such as coffee machines," he added.
23 people were injured in Mukachevo as a result of the Russian attack, according to authorities.
The attack comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump concluded talks with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Aug. 18.
Following the meeting, Zelensky said Ukraine is ready for unconditional peace talks and that any discussion about Ukraine's territory would be directly between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The question of territory is a question that we will leave between me and Putin. Security guarantees will probably be negotiated with our partners," he said.
Before Zelensky's White House meeting, Trump met Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15 as Washington intensifies efforts to broker a peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Although no formal peace agreement was made during their three-hour meeting in Anchorage, Trump later said they had made headway and "largely agreed" on security guarantees for Ukraine and territorial "swaps."
Since Trump met Putin in Anchorage on Aug. 15, at least 31 civilians have been killed and another 145 have been injured in Russian strikes across Ukraine as of Aug. 20.
