Russia hammered Ukraine with a massive overnight aerial assault early Thursday, launching 420 drones and 39 missiles just hours before Ukrainian and U.S. officials convened in Geneva for talks on peace prospects and postwar recovery.

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or neutralized the bulk of the incoming threats, downing 374 drones and most missiles, though five ballistic missiles and 46 drones struck 32 targets, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The barrage included two Zircon anti-ship missiles, 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 24 Kh-101 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers, and other types. Debris fell across 15 additional locations.

Strikes damaged residential buildings and infrastructure in eight regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Poltava, Mykolaiv, and frontline areas in Donetsk. In Zaporizhzhia, 19 apartment buildings and four homes suffered hits, wounding nine people. Kharkiv reported 14 injuries, including one child, while two elderly residents were hurt in Kryvyi Rih. No deaths were reported, but at least 25 to dozens were wounded overall, some critically.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks targeted gas infrastructure, power substations, and energy facilities, underscoring Russia's efforts to cripple Ukraine's grid amid winter. "Most of the missiles launched were shot down thanks to air defense missiles agreed upon during the last Ramstein meeting," he noted, calling for sustained Western support.

The assault preceded bilateral discussions in Geneva between Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, head of the National Security and Defense Council, and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special representative, and Jared Kushner. The agenda covers a U.S.-backed "prosperity package" for Ukraine's reconstruction, estimated at $800 billion over 10 years by organizers and $588 billion by the World Bank as of late 2025. Talks also aim to organize trilateral negotiations with Russia in early March and explore another prisoner swap.

Zelenskyy, who spoke with Trump on Wednesday, anticipates the meeting will elevate discussions to the leaders' level. "President Trump supports this sequence of steps. This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war," he posted on social media.

These Geneva sessions build on U.S.-mediated talks that began last month, including rounds in Abu Dhabi and prior Geneva meetings on February 17-18. Progress has been limited to prisoner and body exchanges—1,000 Ukrainian soldiers for 35 Russians occurred on Wednesday amid stalemates over territory like Donetsk and security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia has separately dispatched economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev to Geneva for U.S. discussions.

The strikes coincide with the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, highlighting persistent intensity despite diplomatic overtures.