Ukraine says Russia launched largest drone, missile attack of war

Kyiv said on Wednesday that Russia had launched the largest missile and drone attack of the Moscow's more than three-year invasion of Ukraine, mainly targeting the west of the country.

The Ukrainian air force said that Russia had attacked with 728 drones and 13 missiles, adding that its air defence systems intercepted 711 drones and that at least seven missiles were destroyed.

"This is a telling attack -- and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all," Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media.

He called for allies to step up sanctions on Russia, particularly targeting its energy sector, an important revenue stream for the Russian war chest.

"Our partners know how to apply pressure in a way that will force Russia to think about ending the war, not launching new strikes," Zelensky added.

The mayor of the western city of Lutsk, Igor Polishchuk, said fires had broken out at an "enterprise," and said no one had been reported killed or wounded.

The latest strike beat a previous Russian record of 550 drones and missiles set earlier this month.

It comes just after the United States U-turned on an announcement that it would reduce some weapons supplies to Ukraine.

"It is quite telling that Russia carried out this attack just as the United States publicly announced that it would supply us with weapons," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on social media.