Zelenskyy States Russia’s 800-Drone Barrage Was No Coincidence During Trump China Visit

Russia launched one of its longest mass aerial attacks on Ukraine as US President Donald Trump arrived in China. The strike involved at least 800 drones in a single day, killing six people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on May 13.

Zelenskyy linked the timing of the assault to US President Donald Trump's arrival in China, framing it as a deliberate Russian attempt to disrupt the diplomatic moment.

"It is certainly impossible to call it a coincidence that one of the longest massive Russian attacks against Ukraine comes precisely when the President of the United States has arrived for a visit to China," he wrote.

Zelenskyy stated the assault unfolded in successive waves of Shahed drones across the country, with Russian forces deliberately targeting regions closest to NATO borders. Strikes were confirmed in the western Zakarpattia, Lviv, Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Rivne regions.

Additional impacts were reported in the Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions.

Dozens of people were wounded, including children, with the barrage still ongoing as Zelenskyy posted the update. He added that Ukrainian intelligence assessed missile launches as likely to follow the drone waves.

Read more

Category

War in Ukraine

Russian Strikes on Lutsk, Rivne and Cherkasy Regions Leave Two Killed and Several Injured

May 13, 2026 15:36

The Ukrainian president noted that Russia's clear objective was to overload Ukrainian air defenses and inflict as much civilian harm as possible during the high-level diplomacy. He urged partners to apply real pressure on Moscow rather than remain silent, warning that the strikes were designed to draw global attention to what he described as Russia's evil.

The scale of the daytime barrage has reinforced Kyiv’s drive to expand its own air defense capacity against Russia’s growing drone arsenal.

Ukraine had already accelerated deliveries of interceptor drones before the latest figures, with the Defense Procurement Agency doubling supply over four months compared with all of 2024.

Ukrainian Officials noted that interceptor drones offered a lower-cost way to destroy enemy UAVs compared with conventional air defense missiles. In March alone, Ukrainian air defense units downed more than 33,000 Russian UAVs of various types, according to the ministry.

Deliveries have moved through multiple procurement channels, including direct state contracts, the Army of Drones Bonus program, and the DOT-Chain Defense marketplace. The ministry stated that these parallel mechanisms enabled Ukraine to maintain supply while accelerating drone deliveries to frontline units.

Truth is Under Attack

We report the war as it unfolds directly from the people and places most affected by it. Your support helps us bring these stories to the world.

SUPPORT