Russia launched an "exceptionally dense" series of overnight drone strikes on Kyiv that were largely repelled by the Ukrainian air defenses, officials said early on May 16, as Moscow appeared to step up its air attacks on multiple locations in the eastern region of Donetsk, where the heaviest fighting has been taking place for months.
The uptick in Russian air activity came amid expectations of a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy completed a European tour that resulted in more pledges for military backing from allies in Rome, Berlin, Paris, and London.
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Serhiy Popko, the head of the capital's military administration, said the drone attack -- the eighth targeting Kyiv since the start of this month -- was "exceptional in its density," involving the maximum number of drones "in the shortest period of time."
Popko said that the attack was unsuccessful, with most of the drones "identified and destroyed" by air defenses.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that three people were wounded during the attack.
Separately, Russia overnight launched at least 18 missiles, mostly from the air, on various targets in Ukraine, but all of them were shot down by Ukraine's air defenses. the Air Force Command reported on May 16.
It said the attack was three-pronged, coming from the north, south, and east and started at 3:30 a.m. local time.
Along the front line in Donetsk, 48 air attacks were registered over the past 24 hours, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its daily report on May 16.
The military said that Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka continued to be the theater of the fiercest fighting in Donetsk, where 49 combat operations took place over the past 48 hours.
Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces from chunks of territory around the embattled city of Bakhmut in the east of the country, Ukraine's deputy defense minister said on May 16.
"In the last few days, our troops liberated around 20 square kilometers in the north and south of the outskirts of Bakhmut. At the same time, the enemy is advancing in some measure inside Bakhmut itself and is completely destroying the town with artillery," Hanna Malyar said in a statement on social media.
Malyar's comments could not be independently verified.
On May 15, four civilians were killed in a Russian missile attack on an Avdiyivka hospital, regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Zelenskiy on May 15 said in a video recorded on the train as he traveled back to Kyiv that he was returning with new defense packages, including "more ammunition, stronger weapons for the front, more protection for our people, more political support."
Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak discussed in London on May 15 a fighter jet coalition that would train Ukrainian pilots on modern warplanes, which he said was a very important because Ukraine currently cannot control the sky.
Ukraine has previously raised the idea of a fighter jet coalition and pressed the United States to join.
Zelenskiy said after his visits with European leader he felt "extremely positive" about the chances of forming the coalition and said there would be "important decisions" in the near future.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said Britain and Poland had agreed to join the coalition.
"Britain -- yes. Poland -- yes. And I am sure France and other partners will join," he said in the video.
French President Emmanuel Macron said later in an interview that France was open to training Ukrainian fighter jet pilots in France and that those training programs could start right away.
Most Western countries, including the United States, have resisted Ukraine's requests for fighter jets over concerns about escalating the war.