RUSSIA today launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, killing at least one civilian and wounding several others. 

The barrage came just days after rare direct talks between Moscow and Kiev failed to produce a ceasefire.

Ukrainian officials said that Russia fired a total of 273 drones and decoys across the country at 8am today, targeting the Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.

Of these, 88 were intercepted and 128 were likely jammed electronically, according to Ukraine’s air force. 

Yuriy Ihnat of the Ukrainian Air Force described it as the largest single drone assault since the war began in February 2022, surpassing the previous record of 267 drones fired on the eve of the war’s third anniversary earlier this year.

Kiev regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk confirmed that a 28-year-old woman was killed in the attack, while three others — including a four-year-old child — were injured.

The violence follows Friday’s direct negotiations in Istanbul, the first such talks between Ukraine and Russia in years. 

The meeting lasted less than two hours and ended without a ceasefire agreement. 

But both sides reportedly agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, with Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov saying that the exchange could happen as early as next week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had offered to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face in Turkey, but Mr Putin declined, suggesting instead lower-level direct negotiations.

Ukraine and its Western allies had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump — who is on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East — said that he planned to speak to both leaders by phone tomorrow, followed by discussions with Nato leaders. 

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Mr Trump said: “Nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together.

“He wasn't going if I wasn’t there and I don’t believe anything's going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together.”

On Saturday, a separate Russian drone strike killed nine civilians after hitting a shuttle bus in Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region, according to Kiev.

Mr Zelensky called the attack “deliberate” and urged stronger international sanctions on Moscow.

Russia claimed it had targeted a military facility.

Its Defence Ministry reported it had shot down 25 Ukrainian drones between Saturday night and this morning, with no reported casualties.