Russia Makes Record Attack on Ukraine as Trump Castigates Putin

Russia launched a major volley of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, soon after President Trump had sharply criticized President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for taking only “meaningless” steps toward peace in settlement talks.

Explosions rattled cities and towns mostly in central and western Ukraine where the attack seemed to target airfields and military logistical sites. Booms and antiaircraft machine-gun fire was also heard in the capital, Kyiv.

The attack came the night after Mr. Trump had made his latest flip-flop on his approach to the war, saying on Monday that because Ukraine was “getting hit very hard” in Russian attacks, he would resume a delivery of weapons that his administration had paused only last week.

American officials had said they would pause the shipment to conduct a worldwide review of U.S. military readiness. As of Tuesday night, after Mr. Trump had changed his mind, that shipment, consisting of 30 Patriot missiles and other munitions, was in Poland, waiting to cross the border, officials said.

Wednesday’s attacks underscore Ukraine’s urgent need for weapons. As Russia has ramped up industrial capacity to mass-produce expendable, exploding drones, new nightly records come weekly. Most mark increases of a dozen or several dozen drones. Wednesday’s attack set a record for the most drones and missiles launched in a single night since the war began.

On Wednesday, Russia launched 728 exploding drones and decoys, according to Ukraine’s air force. That was 189 more drones than during the previous record volley of 539 drones, which came on Friday.

As Russia’s industry continues to gear up, military analysts say they expect Russia to routinely launch more than 1,000 drones per volley by autumn.

On Wednesday, the Volyn region in western Ukraine near the border with Poland took the brunt of the attack. The mayor of Lutsk, a city in the area, said storage sheds and an industrial site were on fire. Injuries but no deaths were reported. The cities of Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Rivne, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk also came under attack.

Ukrainian authorities do not release details of attacks on military targets, but analysts have previously interpreted some missile strikes aimed at western Ukraine as efforts to interdict Western weapons as they cross the border from Poland or to hit military warehouses or airfields. Airfields lie close to Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia.

Russia also fired seven cruise missiles and six fast-flying Kinzhal, or Dagger, ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Inexpensive, mass-produced drones now pose the gravest risk for Ukraine. But the Dagger missiles are important weapons for Russia geopolitically. They can be shot down by only one air defense system in Ukraine’s arsenal: American Patriot missiles.

While Kyiv can procure European-made substitutes for other kinds of weapons Washington has been providing, it is dependent on the Trump administration to keep open a pipeline of Patriots.

Ukraine has received weapons, ammunition and equipment through two main streams of American aid.

One draws down older weapons from U.S. stockpiles and sends them to Ukraine, while replenishing the American arsenal with new items. The other allows the Pentagon to buy new weapons from American manufacturers and send them to Ukraine.

Both were approved under the Biden administration. Mr. Trump has not asked Congress to renew funding for weapons transfers to Ukraine.

Given Mr. Trump’s skepticism of such aid, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has proposed that his country buy Patriot missiles with money provided by European allies. Such exports would still require Mr. Trump’s approval; he has not indicated whether he will provide it.

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