Russia shifts to daytime drone assault on Ukraine, killing six as Zelensky links attack to US-China diplomacy

A sweeping Russian drone assault involving more than 800 unmanned aerial vehicles struck across Ukraine on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, resulting in at least six deaths and dozens of injuries. The attack, which primarily targeted western regions including Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, and Cherkasy, marks a significant departure from Moscow’s established strategy of conducting large-scale aerial bombardments during nighttime hours.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the scale of the operation via social media, stating that the drones were launched since midnight and caused casualties including children. He accused the Kremlin of deliberately timing the strike to coincide with US President Donald Trump’s arrival in China, suggesting an intent to disrupt the diplomatic proceedings of the summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

"In this difficult geopolitical moment, Russia is clearly trying to disrupt the overall political atmosphere and draw attention to its evil – seeking to do so at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Ukrainian infrastructure," Zelensky wrote. He urged Trump to raise the issue of ending the Russian invasion during his meetings in Beijing, noting that Kyiv is in constant contact with American partners and expects the conflict to be a priority on the agenda.

The human cost of the attack was felt across multiple regions. In the Rivne region, authorities reported three deaths and four injuries, with damage extending to civilian infrastructure and a residential building. Casualties were also recorded in the Zaporizhzhia region, where one person was killed, and in Kherson, where two died. At least eight individuals were wounded in the southern Black Sea region of Odesa and the central regions of Khmelnytskyi and Cherkasy.

Kyiv’s military intelligence had warned earlier of a "prolonged air strike against critical facilities," a prediction borne out as air defence systems engaged in the capital. AFP journalists in Kyiv observed residents sheltering in metro stations and heard air raid sirens as the city’s mayor confirmed active defences. Zelensky stated that Russia’s apparent objective is to overload Ukrainian air defence systems and warned that the drone attacks could be followed by further strikes involving cruise and ballistic missiles.

In a separate development, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed to have intercepted and destroyed 286 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions, including Belgorod and Bryansk. This assertion contrasts with the scale of the offensive launched against Ukrainian territory, where Russia has conducted large-scale drone and missile attacks for over four years, predominantly during the night.