Ukraine-Russia conflict: Significant milestones, day 1,244 | Updates on the Russia-Ukraine war

Here are the main events on day 1,244 of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Fighting

• A significant Russian drone and missile assault on Kyiv resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to 15 others, including a 12-year-old child, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• The attack led to extensive damage, including when a drone struck the entrance of a Kyiv subway station in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where civilians had sought shelter.
• Ukraine’s Air Force stated that Russia launched 426 drones and 24 missiles during the overnight attack, marking one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults in months.
• A Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region injured 11 people, including a five-year-old boy, as reported by Governor Oleh Hryhorov on Telegram.
• Ukraine’s Air Force claimed to have intercepted or jammed 224 Russian drones and missiles, while another 203 drones went off radar.
• The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that Russian air defence systems destroyed 132 Ukrainian drones on Monday.
• The governor of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, reported that debris from Ukrainian drones fell on a kindergarten and a fire station in the port city of Berdyansk, without any casualties.

Military aid

• Norway is prepared to finance the deployment of US Patriot missile systems for Ukraine’s air defences, as announced by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.
• The Netherlands plans to contribute significantly to the delivery of Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, according to Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans, as reported by De Telegraaf.
• Zelenskyy commented on X that French companies’ decision to start manufacturing drones in Ukraine is “highly valuable”.
• Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that the country needs $6bn to meet this year’s defence procurement shortages, during an online meeting with Western allies.
• The Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a meeting of high-level military donors to Kyiv, was chaired by UK’s Defence Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte were among the attendees.

Politics and diplomacy

• New negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will occur in Turkiye on Wednesday, with more details to be released on Tuesday, as announced by Zelenskyy in his daily public address.
• “A considerable amount of diplomatic work is ahead,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Monday, commenting on the potential for a breakthrough with Kyiv in ending the war.
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized France’s support for Ukraine during a surprise visit to Kyiv.
• Ukraine’s security services arrested an official from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine for allegedly spying for Russia.
• Italy’s Royal Palace of Caserta canceled a concert by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following outcry from Ukraine and its supporters.