In Ukraine, 9 people were killed and another 63 injured due to Russian shelling in Kyiv overnight. Rescue workers reported: “Residential buildings were damaged, and the search for people under the rubble is ongoing.”
Russian missile attack on Kyiv overnight. According to initial information, 9 people are dead, and 63 are injured, including children. Of the injured, 42 are hospitalized. Rescue workers on Telegram wrote: “Residential buildings were damaged, and the search for people under the rubble is ongoing.” After the bombardments, several fires broke out in various areas of the capital, which were extinguished in the following hours. Other explosions were also reported in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where at least two people were injured. The Ukrainian Air Force reported a total of 70 ballistic missiles and 145 drones launched by the Russians.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that some people may be trapped under the rubble of a destroyed residential building. Meanwhile, the Russian army reported destroying 87 drones in various regions of Russia. A report from the Ministry of Defense reads: “During the night, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 87 Ukrainian aerial drones: 45 in the Republic of Crimea, ten in the Belgorod region, ten in the Kursk region, eight in the Voronezh region, four in the Bryansk region, four in the Lipetsk region, four in the Nizhny Novgorod region, and two in the Moscow region.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, just hours after the latest bombings, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin “demonstrates with his actions that he does not respect any peace efforts and simply wants to continue the war,” he wrote on social media. He also criticized Moscow’s “maximum demands” for Ukraine to withdraw from its territory as a condition for peace.
The attacks came just hours after US President Donald Trump’s statements, accusing Volodymyr Zelensky of damaging peace negotiations after the Ukrainian president excluded recognizing Russian control over Crimea. Despite ongoing talks and negotiations, the bombings seem to persist. The main issue at the center of the discussions, especially between Trump, Zelensky, and Putin, is Crimea.
Trump accused Kyiv’s leader on Truth Social: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brags on the front page of the Wall Street Journal that ‘Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about.’ This statement is very harmful to peace negotiations with Russia, as Crimea was lost years ago under President Barack Hussein Obama’s watch, and it’s not even a point of discussion.”
He continued: “No one is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, but if he wants it, why didn’t they fight to take it back eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without firing a shot? The area has also hosted important Russian submarine bases for many years before Obama’s ‘handover.'” Trump and Zelensky are scheduled to meet on Saturday in Rome during the funeral of Pope Francis, though Putin will not be present.
