Russia and Ukraine launch aerial attacks amid proposed ceasefire talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine traded heavy aerial blows overnight Saturday, with both sides reporting more than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories.

The attack comes less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss details of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine,

Volgograd regional Gov. Andrei Bocharov confirmed that falling drone debris had sparked a fire in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city close to a Lukoil oil refinery, but provided no further details. Nearby airports temporarily halted flights, local media outlets reported. No casualties were reported.

The Volgograd refinery has been targeted by Kyiv’s forces on several occasions since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, most recently in a drone attack on Feb. 15.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had shot down 126 Ukrainian drones, 64 of which were destroyed over the Volgograd region. Drones were also shot down over the Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk, Rostov and Kursk regions, officials said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said Saturday that Russia had launched a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles over the country overnight. The barrage was a mixture of Shahed-type attack drones and imitation drones designed to confuse air defenses. Some 130 drones were shot down, while 38 more were lost en route to their targets.

Russia attacked energy facilities, causing significant damage, said Ukraine’s private energy company DTEK.

Russia struck energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, DTEK said in a statement on Saturday. Some residents were left without electricity.

“The damage is significant. Energy workers are already working on the ground. We are doing everything possible to restore power to homes as soon as possible,” the energy firm said.

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a fire engine and school buses burn after a Russian drone hit them when firefighters were putting out the fire at a lyceum following Russian drone attack in Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, fire engines burn after a Russian drone hit them when firefighters were putting out a fire at a lyceum following Russian drone attack in Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, March 15, 2025, a destroyed Ukrainian Army M777 howitzer, left, is transported at Cherkasskoe Porechnoe and Pravda in Sudzha district of the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

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