Russia swarms Ukraine with 300 drones per attack to overwhelm air defenses - Zelenskyy

The Ukrainian president said recovery and defense efforts continued throughout the day across several regions, from Kharkiv to Lviv.

"The Russians continue to use a specific tactic of terror against Ukraine — saturated strikes on cities and regions, trying to have around 300 Shahed drones per attack," he said.

The Ukrainian president recalled that 339 Shahed drones were launched overnight into Saturday. He also warned that air raid alerts would begin spreading again in the evening.

"Shaheds are back in the skies. Our defenders are shooting down a significant number of them. But not all, unfortunately. Russia is also using hundreds of special Shahed-imitator drones in each strike," Zelenskyy said.

According to the president, the goal of these decoys is to overload Ukrainian air defenses and make intercepting the real Shaheds more difficult.

"This is their deliberate and vile terror," he added.

Russian overnight attack on July 12

Russian forces launched another round of kamikaze drone and cruise missile strikes on Ukraine overnight on July 12.

In Chernivtsi, debris from downed targets caused large fires. Administrative buildings, homes, stores, and vehicles were destroyed.

Two people were confirmed dead — a 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man. In the Storozhynets community, homes and cars were damaged, but no casualties were reported.

In Lviv, a drone struck a residential building, destroying a stairwell and causing a gas leak and rooftop fire. Other structures in the Zaliznychnyi district were also damaged, including a kindergarten.

In Lutsk, explosions triggered a major blaze that completely destroyed a private home. Emergency crews are still working to clear the aftermath.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said Russia had fired 26 missiles and nearly 600 drones at Ukraine. More than half of the UAVs were Shaheds.

For more details on the Russian overnight attack, read RBC-Ukraine's report.