Russia pummels Ukraine with 'record' drone barrage

Russia launched a record 188 drones at Ukraine overnight, Kiev said on Tuesday, amid growing international tensions over Russian missile threats and hints Moscow could strike European cities.

Moscow and Kiev have been escalating their drone and missile broadsides, with Ukraine recently firing U.S. long-range missiles at Russia and the Kremlin retaliating with an experimental hypersonic missile.

The barrage came as ambassadors from Ukraine and NATO's 32 members were due to meet in Brussels over Russia's firing last week of the intermediate-range missile on the city of Dnipro.

"During the night attack, the enemy launched a record number of Shahed strike unmanned aerial vehicles and unidentified drones," the air force said Tuesday, referring to Iranian-designed drones and putting the overall number fired at 188.

The air force said it had shot down 76 Russian drones in 17 regions, while another 95 were either lost from their radars or downed by electronic jamming defensive systems. It did not specify what happened to the remainder.

Moscow also fired four Iskander-M ballistic missiles, the air force said.

"Unfortunately, critical infrastructure facilities were hit, private and apartment buildings were damaged in several regions," a statement said.

AFP journalists heard explosions ring out over the capital, while Kiev city officials said the air alert had lasted five hours and 10 Russian drones were shot down there.

In the western Ternopil region, which is among those spared the worst of the fighting, authorities said drones had damaged a "critical infrastructure facility," without elaborating.

They said however that the attack had disrupted electricity in the city of Ternopil and surrounding towns, and that...