Five dead following drone attacks in Ukraine and Russia as peace talks stall
Five people have been killed in Ukraine and Russia after the two countries exchanged overnight drone and missile attacks.
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Three people were killed by Russian bombs in the Dnipro region of Ukraine, while two people were killed in Russia's Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone strike.
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 235 drones and 27 missiles in a "massive combined attack" overnight. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 54 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 24 over the Bryansk region and 12 over Rostov.
A brief third round of ceasefire negotiations were held earlier this week in Istanbul. Ukrainian and Russian delegates met on Wednesday evening, but the discussions failed to yield progress toward resolving the conflict. Each side blamed the other for dismissing proposed solutions.
Writing on Telegram, Serhiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, said a further six people were injured in the overnight strikes. The governor shared pictures of destruction including ruined buildings and burnt-out cars.
He said: “A terrible night. A massive combined attack on the region."
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Ukraine’s Air Force said ten Russian missiles and 25 drones found their targets, striking nine locations, while air defences shot down or intercepted the rest.
A multi-story building and a business were damaged in Dnipro city, while a shopping centre caught fire outside the city.
Ukraine’s southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions also experienced rocket and drone attacks. Three people were injured in Sumy after Russian drones hit a central square and damaged the regional administration building, officials said.
Ukrainian emergency services said six people, including four rescuers, were injured in Kharkiv after a "double tap" strike, where a second attack is launched shortly after the first to target emergency workers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, Russian airports must feel that the Russian war has real consequences for them."
“There can be absolutely no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this.”
In Russia, two people were killed by a Ukrainian drone attack in the Rostov region, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said.
A woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a home in the Ingushetia region, regional health officials said.
An industrial facility in the Stavropol region was also hit by a drone attack which caused a brief fire, according to governor Vladimir Vladimirov.
Drone attacks were also reported in Moscow and the Penza region southeast of the capital city, which were intercepted.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it had seized the village of Zelenyi Hai in the eastern Donetsk region and Maliivka in the Dnipro region. Ukraine did not respond to the claims.