Russia launched more than 900 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukrainian cities over a three-day period starting on May 23 in a devastating missile barrage, killing at least six people and injuring 24 others, Ukrainian authorities reported on May 26.

The wave of strikes marks the most intense aerial assault since the start of the full-scale war and comes amid diplomatic manoeuvring over potential peace talks and a significant escalation in Western military support for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the latest attacks as a "clear political choice of Russia – the choice to keep waging war," adding: "There is no military logic in this."

Zelenskiy said that although a meeting on peace proposals was recently held in Istanbul on May 16, the first direct contact between Ukraine and Russia since 2022, Russian forces have continued to launch large-scale attacks.

"Putin must start respecting those talks too. For now, he is simply playing games with diplomacy and with diplomats. That must change," Zelenskiy said in a statement on May 26.

The Kremlin has continued to ignore the proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire, proposed by the White House in March, immediately accepted by Bankova (Ukraine’s equivalent of the Kremlin), but rejected by the Kremlin, unless the “root causes” of the war were addressed as part of the deal. Russia has insisted that Ukraine give up its Nato ambitions since the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an eight-point list of demands in December 2021 in the run-up to the conflict.

Western officials are increasingly concerned about Russia’s accelerating missile output, as Ukraine’s stock of air defence ammunition starts to run low with little prospect of adequate resupply from either the EU or the US, which have also both run down their stocks of ammo.

The Economist reported on May 25 that Russia is expanding its drone production capacity from 300 per month to 500, far outstripping anything Ukraine is capable of manufacturing.

Lockheed Martin, which builds Patriot systems and their accompanying missiles, the third generation PAC-3, is increasing its capacity to 650 missiles per year. However, this is approximately 100 fewer than the projected Russian production of ballistic missiles and up to two Patriot missiles are required to shoot down one Russian cruise missile.

Intelligence sources warned that Ukraine may soon face coordinated strikes involving up to 1,000 Iranian-designed Shahed drones at once on a regular basis. One recovered drone reportedly shows a new live video control system using Telegram bots and artificial intelligence.

Putin is hoping to demoralise both Ukrainians and their western supporters and convince them that Ukraine’s defeat is inevitable.

Conversely, on May 26, Ukraine continued to strike back, targeting defence production facilities in Russia where Shahed drones are manufactured. The drones attacked the Yelabuga and the Ivanovo regions, hitting a plant that produces components for Russian equipment and weapons, including missiles.

But the Kremlin has invested heavily into its military industrial complex to good effect. In addition to the increased number of missiles it produces, former commander-in-chief and now UK ambassador General Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in a recent speech Russia has overtaken Ukraine in battlefield innovation.

While Ukraine is ahead of Russia in both drone manufacture and technology, Russia's upgraded ballistic missiles have become harder to intercept by Patriots, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Technology advantage has swung backwards and forwards between the two combatants throughout the conflict and especially in the drone war.

On May 26, The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump is considering a new round of sanctions on Russia, though they may not include additional banking restrictions. The Trump administration has also said that the US may abandon the conflict entirely, leaving the EU to carry the burden of underpinning Ukraine’s war effort.

Following the weekend from hell barrage, Trump also warned of "the fall" of Russia if President Vladimir Putin continues attacking Ukrainian cities. “I don't know what happened to Putin. I've known him for a very long time. But he's sending missiles into cities, killing people, and I don't like it,” Trump said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently launched Europe’s ReArm programme to build up European defences. The EU is set to approve a €150bn ($170bn) defence loan instrument under the SAFE (Security Action For Europe) initiative, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on May 27. The final agreement cites the "particular urgency" of threats from Russia and Belarus. EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said SAFE could "effectively double the volume of weapons Ukraine receives," but without specifying a time frame.

Germany is also reconsidering its stance on supplying long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Speaking at the WDR-Europaforum on May 26, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, “There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine.” He added that Putin “perceives proposals for negotiations as a sign of weakness.”

Russia has condemned the German position. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the potential delivery of Taurus missiles “a rather dangerous step” and warned that a strike on Russian territory could be viewed as Germany’s direct involvement in the war.

Despite public reluctance, there is growing speculation that Germany may have already transferred Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Russian military bloggers have made such claims, though officials in Berlin have classified all weapons deliveries since early 2024.