RUSSIA FIRED 597 drones and 26 long-range missiles overnight, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as he called for sanctions to stop Russia’s recent record barrages.

Two people died and 14 were wounded when Russian forces attacked the Bukovina area in the Chernivtsi region of southwestern Ukraine with four drones and a missile.

The deaths were caused by falling debris from a drone according to regional governor Ruslan Zaparaniuk.

A further eight people were wounded in attacks across the country, including in western Lviv and Kharkiv in the north-east.

The Ukrainian air force said it had downed 319 Shahed drones and 25 missiles, adding that one missile and about 20 drones hit “five locations”.

Zelenskyy called on his Western allies to send “more than just signals” to stop the war launched by Russia in February 2022.

“Twenty-six cruise missiles and 597 attack drones were launched, of which more than half were ‘Shaheds’,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Iranian-made drones.

Last night, Russia's strikes extended from the Kharkiv and Sumy regions to the Lviv region and Bukovyna. 26 cruise missiles and 597 attack drones were launched, more than half of them were "shaheds." More than 20 missiles and the vast majority of drones were destroyed. I thank… pic.twitter.com/V7tI7IaHle

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 12, 2025

Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Earlier this week, Russia fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, topping previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks and targeting Lutsk near the border with Poland in western Ukraine, a region that is a crucial hub for receiving foreign military aid.

Poland’s air force scrambled fighter jets in areas bordering Ukraine, Polish officials said.

Russia’s intensifying long-range attacks have coincided with a concerted Russian effort to break through parts of the roughly 620-mile front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure.

Russia’s defence ministry said it shot down 33 Ukrainian drones overnight into today.

In his statement on the latest attacks, Zelenskyy specifically urged punishment for those who “help Russia produce drones and profit from oil”.

Oil exports are important for the Russian economy especially in the face of existing Western sanctions.

“The pace of Russian air strikes requires swift decisions and it can be curbed right now through sanctions,” he said.

With reporting by PA and AFP