Dozens of civilians were killed or injured on Saturday in reciprocal air attacks by Russia and Ukraine targeting cities, towns and transport facilities in both countries, while Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 560 Ukrainian drones overnight. The escalation came as the Kremlin said the possibility of an immediate resumption of trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States had diminished.
Victims of Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia
In the Kherson region, Ukrainian authorities reported that 2 people were killed and 9 others injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours. In a separate toll, the city’s military administration said 1 person was killed and 3 others injured in attacks targeting the area. Russia’s Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said it had targeted a cargo ship in the Black Sea, claiming the vessel was carrying military supplies to the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
The ministry said strikes on port infrastructure and vessels that Moscow claims are being used in support of Ukrainian forces were continuing. The developments came amid ongoing reciprocal air strikes, with infrastructure facilities and areas near front lines facing continuing military operations being targeted.
Russia says it intercepted hundreds of drones
In Russia, the Defence Ministry said air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed 560 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 10 drones heading towards the Russian capital had been shot down, adding that emergency teams had begun work at the sites where drone debris fell.
The governor of Tula Region also said 3 drones had been shot down overnight, while Russian media reported that dozens of drones had been intercepted over Samara Region. In Rostov Region in southern Russia, the governor said overnight Ukrainian attacks had injured 6 people, adding that 2 of them remained in hospital and were in a moderate condition.
Russian authorities said the attacks damaged 2 vessels in the Sea of Azov. A railway bridge in Rostov Region was also damaged, halting train services in the area. In Belgorod Region, the local emergency operations centre said 1 man was killed and 3 others injured after a Ukrainian drone targeted a car in the Yasni Zory area.
Resumption of trilateral talks stalls
On the diplomatic front, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart, Donald Trump, during a telephone call on Friday that Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow and other cities and polling stations during last month’s Russian parliamentary elections had undermined the possibility of an immediate resumption of trilateral talks on the war.
Yury Ushakov, the Kremlin’s foreign policy adviser, said Moscow would discuss the timing of a resumption of talks at a later date, without setting a new date for negotiations expected to involve Russia, Ukraine and the United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said on Thursday that the war had reached a dangerous impasse, stressing that Washington was continuing efforts to reach a settlement to end the conflict.
The Kremlin also said Putin and Trump had discussed economic initiatives during their call, including potential supplies of Russian fuel. Trump had announced that Russia had agreed to supply diesel to US and global markets, saying the move could help lower fuel prices, while analysts questioned whether the potential volumes could produce a significant decline.
The Russia-Ukraine war has continued since February 2022, amid an escalation in reciprocal air attacks and declining prospects for the resumption of talks in the near term.
