A buzz, silence, a blue light… then utter devastation. The lethal Russian drones wreaking havoc in Ukraine

Citizens fall asleep every night to the constant hum of killing machines that turn buildings to dust and snuff out lives.

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In a sunflower field near Kyiv, Liz Cookman witnesses the hi-tech race to stop the carnage

The sound of drones is now so common in Kyiv that some joke darkly that it's part of their bedtime routine. Locals liken the sound to flying lawnmowers, motorcycles in the sky or construction work during the night.

"The noise lasts for hours and it drives you mad," said Svitlana Kuksa, 48, a resident of the Darnytskyi district who lost her home in a huge drone attack in July.

This summer, Ukraine has endured aerial attacks at a scale unseen since Russia invaded in 2022. In July alone, 6,200 Shahed-type drones were unleashed, more than during any previous month. It was also the deadliest month for civilians in more than three years.

Last month, another 23 people were killed in the capital in the second largest attack of the war, while 60,000 were left without electricity after power facilities were hit in the country's north and south on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to retaliate by ordering more strikes on infrastructure deep inside Russia.

The need for a ceasefire is more urgent than ever, yet peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US have hit a deadlock since last month's Alaska summit. During a visit to China last week, President Vladimir Putin suggested peace talks could be held in Moscow, but Ukraine rejected the idea as "intentionally unacceptable".

European leaders are concerned that Russia will mount a new offensive now that 100,000 soldiers have been relocated to the frontline outside the embattled city of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region.