Russia fires hundreds of drones at Ukraine, defies Trump’s 50 day peace ultimatum

Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Ukraine Wednesday morning, July 16, firing hundreds of drones, artillery shells, and a ballistic missile, in open defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent warning to strike a peace deal or face harsher sanctions.

According to Ukrainian officials, the attacks between late Tuesday and early Wednesday killed one woman and wounded more than two dozen people across multiple regions. A missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rig knocked out power and water supplies.

The bombardment came just two days after Trump threatened to impose severe new sanctions on Moscow unless it agreed to end its three-year invasion within 50 days. Despite the pressure, there have been no new peace talks scheduled. The last direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials took place over a month ago.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched at least 400 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, as well as an Iskander ballistic missile fired from occupied Crimea.

In Vinnytsia, central Ukraine, eight people were wounded in drone strikes, while three others were injured in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. In Kryvyi Rig, at least 15 were wounded, including a 17-year-old boy who was hospitalized in serious condition after suffering abdominal injuries, Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said.

“This has never happened before — a ballistic missile and 28 Shaheds simultaneously,” Vilkul wrote on Telegram.

Russia has intensified its summer campaign in recent weeks, pressing ahead with ground offensives while bombarding Ukrainian cities. Meanwhile, Washington-mediated ceasefire efforts have stalled.

On Monday, Trump announced he had secured a deal with NATO to send more American air defense systems and weapons to Ukraine, expressing frustration over Russia’s unwillingness to accept a ceasefire.

The renewed assault underscores the widening gap between diplomatic pressure and the Kremlin’s battlefield strategy, leaving civilians to bear the brunt of Moscow’s escalating tactics.

Source: LIB