Russia launched a wave of drone attacks on Ukraine early Thursday, May 15, striking multiple regions in a large-scale assault that caused damage but no reported casualties, officials said.
The Sumy region in the northeast was hit particularly hard, with Russian forces launching about 10 combat drones at a village in the Sumy community, according to the regional military administration.
Civilian infrastructure was targeted, including residential buildings, a kindergarten, shops and vehicles. A fire broke out as a result of the strike, and emergency services have been working at the scene since overnight. No casualties have been reported so far.
In western Ukraine, air raid sirens began sounding early Thursday as the drone attacks spread across the country. A warning map showed alerts moving westward throughout the morning.
In Lutsk, Mayor Ihor Polishchuk reported explosions in the city, the movement of drones and the activation of air defense systems. In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk described the morning as “alarming.”
A fire was reported at a facility in the region following the attack, but it was extinguished, and no injuries were reported.
The Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine was also targeted. On the evening of May 14, Russian forces shelled the Mezhova community in the Synelnykove district with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRSs).
Later that night, the area was struck again by an attack drone. A cultural center was partially destroyed, and about 10 private homes, shops, and cars were damaged, said regional governor Serhiy Lysak. A fire was extinguished by emergency services.
On Thursday, May 15, the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in three years are expected to take place in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Turkey, expressing readiness for a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin.
However, the Kremlin stated that Russia’s delegation will be led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, and Putin will not attend.
The absence of Putin and Russia’s rejection of Ukraine’s proposed 30-day ceasefire have lowered expectations for any breakthrough.