FIVE KILLED AS UKRAINE AND RUSSIA TRADE DRONE ATTACKS

Overnight strikes in Russia and Ukraine have left five dead as both sides exchanged drone attacks. Ukraine authorities reported on Saturday that Russia launched over 200 drones and nearly 30 missiles, with most attacks directed at Dnipropetrovsk, where three people were killed. Six others were injured in the strikes, which hit a residential building, industrial zones in Dnipro city, and a shopping center in the wider region. Meanwhile, in Russia’s Rostov region, a Ukrainian drone strike reportedly caused a car to catch fire, resulting in two fatalities.

The escalation comes as both sides provided updates on military operations. Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces seized two villages, Zelenyi Hai in Donetsk and Maliivka in Dnipropetrovsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, stated that his troops were making gradual progress in pushing Russian forces out of the Sumy region. In a post on X, Zelensky emphasized that Russian strikes on Kharkiv and Sumy cannot go unanswered, adding that Ukrainian long range drones were ensuring retaliation. He warned that Russian military sites and airports must feel the real consequences of their own war, asserting that such strikes would help bring peace closer.

Zelensky also reported intense fighting in Donetsk’s Pokrovsk area, where Ukrainian forces defended positions in 51 combat engagements over the past day. There were also claims that Kindrativka, a village in Sumy, had been retaken from Russian control. The latest violence follows a third round of failed ceasefire talks in Istanbul earlier this week. Ukrainian and Russian delegations met on Wednesday but made no progress, with each side accusing the other of rejecting proposals. Previous talks in May and June initiated at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump also ended without resolutions. Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to end the conflict, which began with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.