Russia launched a huge overnight attack on Ukraine, hitting 14 regions with drones and missiles. Ukrainian officials said nearly 540 drones and 45 missiles were fired. One woman was killed in Zaporizhzhia, and at least 30 people, including children, were injured. Homes, shopping centres, and railway systems were damaged, while fires broke out in several areas.
Ukraine also struck back, targeting Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar and Syzran. The strikes caused explosions and fires at the facilities, which produce millions of tons of petroleum products each year. Russian authorities admitted damage at Krasnodar but said no one was hurt.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, houses and infrastructure were destroyed, and drone attacks continued the next day. Russia also claimed to have captured a village in Donetsk, though Ukraine has not confirmed this. Fighting in eastern Ukraine remains intense, with Russia pushing forward despite heavy losses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said these attacks show Russia has no interest in peace. He called for stronger sanctions from the United States and Europe. Meanwhile, European ministers met in Denmark to discuss the war, including a plan to freeze over €200 billion of Russian assets. France said it would push for new sanctions to cut Russia’s ability to fund the war.
Russia, however, claimed its strikes had hit all intended targets, though this has not been independently confirmed.
The exchange of attacks comes just days after Kyiv suffered one of the largest air assaults since the war began in 2022, killing at least 25 people. International peace talks remain at a standstill, while both sides continue to strike each other.
-Peace News Desk