Russia launched another wave of drone and airstrikes on Ukraine early Saturday, hitting the Kharkiv region and killing at least three people, according to officials,
The latest attack comes as peace talks between the two nations to end the more than three-year-long war remain in limbo.
Moscow overnight launched 215 missiles and drones toward the northeastern city, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. The air defenses downed 87 drones and seven missiles, including one short-range Iskander missile, officials said.
In the attack on Kharkiv — the nation’s second largest city — a minimum of three people were killed and 21 were injured, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said. Among the wounded individuals were a baby just over a month old and a 14-year-old girl.
“At least 43 buildings were damaged, including 23 apartment blocks and 15 houses. Hundreds of windows were shattered, roofs torn, and a civilian enterprise severely damaged,” the foreign ministry said early Saturday on social platform X.
Apart from Kharkiv, Russia also attacked other regions, including Donetsk, Dnipro, Ternopil, Odesa, and others, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it was targeting repair stations for weapons and ammunition depots.
Earlier this week, Russia launched retaliatory drone strikes toward Ukraine, killing five people, after Kyiv attacked Russian airfields.
The strikes followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s phone call with President Trump — who has aired frustration with the Kremlin leader as the U.S. seeks to broker a ceasefire deal in Eastern Europe. While Trump said the conversation was “good,” he acknowledged it would not result in “immediate peace” on the battlefield.
Russian attacks, the president said, were in response to Ukraine’s so-called “Operation Spider Web,” a complex aerial operation, which was carried out last Sunday, where Ukraine destroyed or damaged dozens of Russian warplanes.
Trump has in some ways backed away from his ceasefire push in the region, instead pressuring the two sides to work together to permanently end the conflict. So far, Ukrainian and Russian officials have met twice in Turkey for diplomatic discussions. While no breakthrough came out of the meetings, the nations agreed to swap hundreds of prisoners.
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