Russia launched 273 drones on Ukraine on May 18, marking one of the deadliest attacks conducted since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, media reports said.

The attacks were conducted just two days after Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey's Istanbul city.

It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two nations in the past three years.

Kyiv Oblast Governor Mykola Kalashnyk told The Kyiv Independent that the attack killed one person and injured three others.

He said the actual casualties from the attacks are still being clarified.

Previous Major Attack

Ukraine's Air Force told the news portal it intercepted 88 drones, while 128 others vanished from radars, likely used as decoys to overwhelm air defences.

The previous largest drone attack of the full-scale invasion occurred on Feb. 23, when 267 drones entered Ukrainian airspace, Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat earlier told the news portal.

Drone Strike In Eastern Ukraine

A drone strike in eastern Ukraine on Saturday could possibly be the deadliest in recent weeks, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, HRMMU, has said.

At least nine people were killed and seven injured when a Russian drone struck a minibus near the town of Bilopillia in the Sumy region, according to local authorities.

HRMMU monitors are in the process of gathering additional information on the circumstances of the attack and its victims.

Preliminary reports suggest that the minibus was carrying civilian evacuees from an area close to the frontline, the majority of whom were women.

‘A stark reminder’

“With nine civilians reported killed, this would be the deadliest attack in weeks,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU.

“This is a stark reminder that civilians continue to be killed and injured on a daily basis across Ukraine.”

If confirmed, the strike would represent the deadliest attack since 24 April, when at least 11 civilians were killed and 81 injured in the capital, Kyiv.

HRMMU said that while the number of civilian casualties in May has been somewhat lower than in April, it continues to document daily civilian casualties, particularly along the frontline.

Russia-Ukraine Prisoners Swap

Ukraine and Russian delegations met for the first time in Turkey's Istanbul where they agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners-of-war each.

This was the first face-to-face talk between representatives of the two warring nations in three years.