'So far, it doesn't mean anything' — Russia launches no mass drone strike against Ukraine overnight

Russian forces did not launch a mass drone strike against Ukrainian civilian targets overnight on April 1, according to the Air Force's reports.

"We'll keep monitoring; so far, it doesn't mean anything," National Security and Defense Council official Andrii Kovalenko said on his Telegram channel.

Russian forces nevertheless attacked Ukraine with two Kh-59/69 guided missiles, targeting Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Air Force said in its regular morning update. The missiles were reportedly shot down.

The report mentioned no drone attacks, and the Air Force did not announce any alarms connected to drone strikes overnight.

This would mark the first instance in 2025 when Russia did not attempt to strike Ukrainian cities, villages, and infrastructure with kamikaze drones en masse.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast officials nevertheless reported drone attacks against the region "between the evening and the morning," not commenting on the number of drones and revealing only limited damage.

Despite this supposed pause on mass drone strikes against civilian targets, Russian drones have continued to engage Ukrainian forces in front-line operations. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported the destruction of 46 Russian operational-tactical drones over the past 24 hours.

Russian forces also continued attacking Ukrainian towns and villages with other weaponry, including KAB bombs and artillery, inflicting civilian casualties.

Moscow's forces have been attacking Ukraine with unmanned aerial vehicles nearly on a daily basis, though there have been sporadic breaks in these strikes.

The development follows an agreement on an energy ceasefire concluded by Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. in Riyadh on March 25. Russian forces have repeatedly attacked Ukrainian civilian targets, allegedly including energy facilities, since then.

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The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell