In one of the largest overnight aerial attacks in August, Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles against Ukraine in the early hours of August 19, Ukraine's Air Force reported.
The strikes came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump and key European allies.
Ukrainian regional officials said on August 19 that in the past 24 hours, Russian shelling across the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson regions had claimed the lives of 15 people and injured at least 76 more.
It was reported that the Poltava region was hit particularly hard, leaving over 1,500 residents without electricity. In Chernihiv, drones damaged infrastructure and disrupted power supplies.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned Russia's attacks, calling them "the opposite of peace," while "hard work to advance peace was under way in Washington."
Those talks broke up with Trump pledging to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table with Zelenskyy. Trump interrupted the talks in Washington to call Putin about the idea.
"This was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years," Trump said.
The Ukrainian president has repeatedly said he is available for talks but Putin has not. Following the Washington talks, a Kremlin statement spoke vaguely about higher-level contacts between Moscow and Kyiv -- but did not mention the two leaders by name.
"Any contacts involving the most senior leaders need to be prepared with the utmost care," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on August 19.
European leaders have voiced skepticism that Putin will come to talks without US pressure to do so. In Washington, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said "We don't know whether the Russian president will have the courage to attend such a summit. Therefore, persuasion is needed."
The attacks underscore the growing toll on Ukraine's civilian population and infrastructure. Russia denies deliberately targeting nonmilitary sites, but the strikes routinely destroy homes, hospitals, schools, and energy facilities.
Security guarantees for Ukraine were another key element in the Washington talks, with Zelenskyy saying a $90 billion program had been discussed for purchasing US weapons to defend Ukraine.
In an interview on Fox News, Zelenskyy also said US and European leaders discussed “Article 5 kind of security guarantees for Ukraine,” adding that it is important that the guarantees prevent Putin from ever trying again to invade parts of Ukraine. Article 5 of the NATO treaty is the alliance's mutual defense clause.
But no detail was provided on how this would work, and many doubts remain about it.
Meanwhile, fighting along the front line has remained intense. Ukraine's General Staff said on August 19 that 186 combat engagements were recorded in the past 24 hours, with Russia launching two missile strikes, 78 air strikes, and dropping 162 guided bombs.
The fiercest battles are concentrated near the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has issued a warning, emphasizing that the intensification of Russian assaults is devastating civilian life, especially in frontline communities.
"With 286 civilians killed and 1,388 injured, the July casualty number was the highest since May 2022, topping also those for June 2025," the mission reported last week. It added that the sharp rise was primarily due to the increased use of aerial bombs and short-range drones.
Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, emphasized that the escalation is hitting vulnerable populations the hardest.
"Whether you are in a hospital or a prison, at home or at work, close to or far away from the front line, if you are in Ukraine today, you are at risk of getting killed or injured by the war," Bell said.
"The risk is significantly higher than last year, and it continues to rise."
