Ukraine war latest: Russia launches nearly 1,000 drones in one of war's largest assaults, killing 7 and injuring 55
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Key developments on March 24:
- Russia launches nearly 1,000 drones in one of war's largest assaults, killing 7 and injuring 55
- Ukraine 'liquidates' hitman working for Russia's GRU, thwarts plot to assassinate high-profile figures, SBU says
- Train passenger killed after 'refusing to evacuate' during Russian drone attack in Kharkiv Oblast
- Zelensky warns Iran war 'emboldening' Russia after Ukraine meets Trump officials
Russia launched nearly 1,000 attack drones against Ukraine over the 24-hour period between March 23 and March 24, in what appeared to be one of the largest aerial assaults of the full-scale war, according to the General Staff.
The barrage included a rare daytime wave on March 24, during which Russia launched more than 550 kamikaze drones across central and western parts of the country, the General Staff reported.
The strikes hit cities and infrastructure across western and central Ukraine, killing at least three people and injuring at least 34, according to regional officials. The daytime barrage followed overnight strikes nationwide, during which at least four people were killed and 21 others injured, local officials reported.
In Lviv, at least 17 people were injured after drones struck civilian areas, Lviv Oblast Governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported. Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported hearing air defense activity, drones, and explosions in Lviv at around 4:20 p.m. local time.
Yarema Semaniv, a Lviv resident who was having tea at a cafe about 500 meters from one of the strike sites, said the daytime attack felt different from previous Russian strikes on the city. "People were running from the Danylo Halytsky monument as if it was a terrorist attack," he said. "It was the first time I experienced something like that downtown. This is definitely something new."
Two districts of the city were hit, with fires breaking out in residential buildings in the historic center and the Sykhiv district. An architectural landmark of national significance, the Bernardine Monastery complex, was damaged in the attack, Kozytskyi said.
The site lies within Lviv's historic center, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fires broke out in buildings within the monastery complex, with the extent of the damage still being assessed. Strikes also hit critical infrastructure facilities in the Komarno and Dobrosyn-Maheriv communities, Kozytskyi added.
Ivano-Frankivsk, another regional capital in western Ukraine, was also targeted with Russian drones. Two people were killed in the attack in the city center, Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk reported. Four others were injured, including a 6-year-old child. Authorities also reported damage to maternity hospitals and around 10 residential buildings.
Ukraine 'liquidates' hitman working for Russia's GRU, thwarts plot to assassinate high-profile figures, SBU says
Ukraine has "liquidated" an alleged hitman working for Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU), arrested more than ten co-conspirators, and foiled a plot to assassinate several high-profile Ukrainian figures, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on March 24.
According to the SBU, the "agent-combat group" was planning to assassinate people including Serhii Sternenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Defense Minister and a prominent activist, as well as Ilya Bogdanov, a Russian national who has been fighting for Ukraine since 2014.
"Thanks to the SBU. I'm fine. Unlike the hitman. Russia should burn," Sternenko wrote on Telegram on March 24. Sternenko was previously targeted by an assassin in May of last year.
The alleged hitman was killed whilst resisting arrest, the SBU said.
The SBU also claimed the alleged perpetrators tracked the addresses and movements of military personnel and public figures, and then sent the data to the group's leader, a forensic expert from the city of Poltava who had been recruited by Russia's GRU. He compiled intelligence and reported to the Russian special services.
Russia then passed data on potential victims to the hitman. According to the case file, the killer is a native of the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, where he underwent combat training at a Russian military base and was later smuggled into territory controlled by Ukraine.
He was tasked with manufacturing improvised explosive devices and placing them under cars or near victims' homes. If the explosion failed, the hitman was instructed by his Russian handler to shoot the victims at close range, the SBU said.
During searches of the suspects' premises, authorities confiscated firearms, ammunition, voice recorders, computer equipment, and surveillance cameras that held evidence of their activities for Russian intelligence agencies.
Train passenger killed after 'refusing to evacuate' during Russian drone attack in Kharkiv Oblast
A Russian drone struck a commuter train in Kharkiv Oblast, killing a passenger who, according to preliminary information, refused to evacuate, Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) said on March 24.
The strike came amid intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine's railway infrastructure since July 2025. As Russia targets passenger trains, Ukrainian Railways implemented additional security measures on Jan. 28, including stopping trains and evacuating passengers if there is a threat of a train being hit.
According to Ukrainian Railways, the train that was attacked on March 24 was traveling between the regional capital of Kharkiv and Slatyne, a rural settlement located 13 kilometers (eight miles) from the Russian border.
The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office reported that as a result of the direct hit of a FPV-drone at around 5:20 a.m. local time, a 61-year-old passenger was killed.
Ukrzaliznytsia said the train crew and passengers made their way to the shelter set up at Slatyne station "immediately after the danger signal sounded."
It added that according to preliminary information, which is being verified by investigators, the passenger killed in the attack on train refused to evacuate to the shelter.
"We appeal to all passengers, please do not disregard safety rules and strictly follow the instructions of railway personnel. We continue to provide service to communities near the front lines — this is a complex task that requires mutual responsibility and trust. Safety comes first," Ukrzaliznytsia wrote on Telegram.
A pre-trial investigation has been launched, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said. The case was classified as Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, a war crime resulting in the death of a person.
In the first four days of March, Russia struck railway assets 18 times — an average of 4.5 attacks a day — using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and FPV drones, Ukrzaliznytsia reported, adding that the attacks damaged 41 railway facilities.
Zelensky warns Iran war 'emboldening' Russia after Ukraine meets Trump officials
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 24 that the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is strengthening Russia's position, as Kyiv reported back from recent talks with U.S. officials.
The remarks come as U.S.-led efforts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia have effectively stalled, with Washington's focus shifting to the Middle East.
Ukraine's delegation spent two days in the United States over the weekend meeting representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Zelensky said the team briefed him on "focus areas, opportunities, and challenges," without disclosing further details.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, citing unnamed sources, U.S. officials are increasing pressure on Kyiv to withdraw its troops from Donetsk Oblast as part of a potential settlement.
The reporting also said Washington warned it could step back from mediation efforts if no progress is achieved, prioritizing military operations against Iran instead.
At the center of the deadlock in peace negotiations remains the most contentious issue of the war — the future of Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine maintains that freezing the current front line represents the most realistic basis for a ceasefire at this stage of the war. Russia continues to insist that Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of Donbas as a precondition for any agreement — a demand Kyiv has rejected.
"The geopolitical situation has become more complicated due to the war against Iran, and unfortunately, this is emboldening Russia," the president said.
Note from the author:
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