Russia, Ukraine trade overnight airstrikes

Shafaq News – Kyiv/Moscow

Russia and Ukraine launched large-scale aerial attacks overnight, with Kyiv reporting the interception of more than 300 threats and Moscow announcing it had downed seven Ukrainian drones across multiple regions.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff on Monday, Russian forces fired over 330 aerial weapons—including Shahed drones, cruise missiles, and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles—mostly aimed at Khmelnytskyi, with Ukrainian defenses intercepting 309 drones and two Kh-101 missiles, while three Kinzhal ballistic missiles missed their targets.

The barrage reportedly began at 7:30 p.m. on July 27 and stretched into the early hours of July 28, originating from Russian regions such as Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Lipetsk, and Saratov, with Starokostiantyniv and its key airbase appearing to be the main target.

Ukraine responded with fighter jets, surface-to-air systems, electronic warfare units, and mobile teams to repel the assault.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that it shot down seven Ukrainian fixed-wing drones—four over Rostov, and one each in Oryol, Kaluga, and Bryansk.

The strikes came shortly after a third round of direct talks in Istanbul, where both sides agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners each, including both civilians and military personnel.