Russia fired 597 drones and 26 long-range missiles overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, calling for sanctions to stop Russia’s record barrage of airstrikes.

Ukraine’s air force said it had shot down 319 Shahedi drones and 25 missiles, adding that one missile and about 20 drones had hit “five locations.” It gave no details.

Four civilians were later reported dead.

Zelensky urged his Western allies to send “more than just signals” to stop the war that Russia launched in February 2022. “The pace of Russian air strikes requires quick decisions and can be curbed now through sanctions,” he said. Zelensky specifically called for punishment for those who “help Russia produce drones and profit from oil.”

Oil exports are important for the Russian economy, especially amid existing Western sanctions. | BGNES, AFP