Moscow launched 40 missiles and nearly 600 drones across Ukraine overnight, forcing Poland to scramble jets as the western city of Lviv was hit. Follow the latest.
Thursday 21 August 2025 09:15, UK
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Ukraine has successfully tested is longest-ranged missile yet, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.
Mass production for the “Flamingo”, which has a range of 3,000km, should begin between December and February.
“Success depends on testing outcomes and funding for the programme,” he added.
Russia has ramped up the scale of its aerial attacks on Ukraine in the past few months, breaking its record for the most number of missiles and drones launched in one night several times.
Last night’s bombardment, which saw 574 drones and 40 missiles fired into Ukraine, was the third-largest of the war so far, according to figures from the country’s air force.
In fact, all of Russia’s largest aerial attacks on Ukraine have come since the beginning of June.
Here they are in order:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has continued its deadly nightly aerial attacks on Ukraine “as if nothing is changing at all”.
Ukraine’s president said Moscow fired almost 600 drones and 40 missiles at the country overnight, adding that rescue operations were underway in “many regions”.
“Tonight, the Russian army set one of its crazy anti-records,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “civilian infrastructure enterprises, residential buildings and our people” were hit.
“The Russians carried out this strike as if nothing is changing at all. As if there are no efforts from the world to stop this war.
“A reaction to this is needed. There is still no signal from Moscow that they are truly going to engage in meaningful negotiations and end this war.”
He added an attack against an “American enterprise” in the western Zakarpattia region was “very telling”.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he’s proposed a $50bn (£37bn) five-year drone deal with the US, aiming to produce 10 million drones annually.
“It’s a massive programme. It’ll likely take off after the war.”
Russia has “ramped up their drone numbers” and allies need to “step up urgently”, Zelenskyy added.
“We, due to funding shortages, haven’t been able to keep pace.”
Ukraine has 1.1 drones to every Russian drone on “key fronts”, down from 1.4 last month, he said.
More photos now of Russian attacks on Ukraine, with smoke billowing from a factory in the Zakarpattia region.
Firefighters were pictured at a Flextronics factory, a Singaporean–American manufacturing company, in Mukachevo.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants to see a “robust response” from the US if Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to a meeting.
In wide-ranging remarks to journalists yesterday, he said: “If the Russians aren’t prepared for this, we’re asking for tariffs.
“We’re calling for additional sanctions and tariff measures from the US as they will genuinely make an impact,” he added.
“We’re hopeful that America will step up.”
Where could they meet?
He said he was “fine” with Switzerland or Austria and unopposed to Turkey.
“A meeting in Moscow is out of the question,” he said.
As for Budapest, Zelenskyy said it was “tricky” because there is “broad unity across Europe in supporting Ukraine during this war, but, to be frank, Budapest hasn’t been on board”.
“I asked President Trump to ensure Budapest doesn’t block our path to European Union membership.
“President Trump promised his team would work on this.”
‘Four years’ for Russia to take Donbas
Zelenskyy says he believes it would take Russia four years of war to seize the rest of the Donbas, which Vladimir Putin has demanded in exchange for an end to fighting.
He explained Russia already occupied a third of the region before the full scale invasion and now hold 67-69%, meaning they have taken just a third in nearly four years of fighting.
“I made it clear that talk of them occupying our Donbas by year’s end is pure bluster.”
The Ukrainian president said he explained to Trump that withdrawing from the Donbas would open a path for the Russians to Kharkiv and Dnipro.
“If Putin gains control here, he’ll push further, regardless of any agreements signed. Did President Trump agree? He understood.”
Zelenskyy says he told Trump that Putin was selling “hot air”.
“Perhaps he’s banking on this, hoping to avoid ending the war by setting conditions we can’t accept.”
Security guarantees boosted by US
US agreement to support security guarantees has opened the door for other allies to commit, Zelenskyy said.
Turkey, for example has “indicated it’s ready to ensure security in the Black Sea”.
General staffs from “key countries” are already discussing what they’re prepared to contribute,” he said.
This ranges from boots on the ground to air defence systems and air patrols to financial support and weaponry.
Russia hit an American electronics manufacturer in Ukraine during its overnight attack, Ukraine’s foreign minister says.
“A fully civilian facility that has nothing to do with defence or the military,” Andrii Sybiha said.
“This is not the first Russian attack on American businesses in Ukraine, after strikes on Boeing offices in Kyiv earlier this year and other attacks.”
Russia used hundreds of drones, hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles in the countrywide attack, he added.
Pictures show the aftermath of a Russian strike on a residential area in western Ukraine.
Firefighters were seen tackling a blaze in the Lviv region, where tens of houses have been damaged.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 574 drones and 40 missiles overnight, Ukraine’s air force says.
That would make it one of the biggest aerial attacks of the entire war.
The air force said it shot down 546 drones and 31 missiles.
By Ed Conway, economics and data editor
Why is Donald Trump threatening to impose sanctions, or tariffs, or maybe both, on India in relation to the Ukraine war?
The short answer is that India has established itself as one of the single most important customers for one of the single most important products made in Russia: crude oil. You only have to glance at the data on Russian fossil fuel exports to see what I mean…
Nor is it just India. China has raised its imports of Russian fossil fuels by 44% since the imposition of sanctions.
Back before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, by far and away the biggest recipient of Russian energy exports was Europe.
Then Europe imposed sanctions on various different Russian products, most notably oil. The idea was to starve Vladimir Putin of the revenues he is using to fund the Russian war machine.
Instead, something else happened: those Russian tankers which previously delivered oil to Europe instead started sending it to Indian oil refineries. The Middle Eastern oil tankers that had previously served those Russian refineries began sending their oil to Europe. Nothing, fundamentally, really changed.
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