Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing three people, including a child, and wounding dozens, officials said.
The strike was the latest in a series of Russian attacks that have caused civilian casualties and have escalated in recent weeks amid ongoing U.S. efforts to broker a cease-fire between Moscow and Kiev.
According to Sergei Lysak, head of the Dnepropetrovsk regional administration, thirty people were injured in the attack, including five children.
Local authorities said the drones caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, including an educational institution, a dormitory, a gymnasium and several residential buildings.
The attacks caused multiple fires across the city, emergency services said.
In response to the attack on the Dnieper, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to provide support to the country in the area of air defense.
“Every package of protection measures provided by partners for Ukraine, every form of support from the international community for our resilience literally saves lives,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
“Russia uses every day and every night to kill.”
At the same time, the Ukrainian delegation was in Paris to hold a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings with representatives of the “coalition of the willing” countries, including France, Germany and Great Britain, as reported by the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak.
The multinational force is expected to act as a long-term security guarantee aimed at deterring future Russian aggression after the ceasefire agreement comes into force.
The delegation also includes Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Yermak reported that negotiations with US representatives are also planned.
“We are working on important aspects of the security of Ukraine and all of Europe,” Yermak wrote on Telegram.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Thursday that its air defense systems shot down 71 Ukrainian drones in six regions overnight.
Of those, 49 drones were intercepted over the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, the report said. Kyiv's forces seized land in the area during a surprise invasion in August 2024.
According to the ministry, additional drones were shot down over the Bryansk, Vladimir, Oryol, Ryazan and Tula regions.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, Russia launched five missiles overnight along with 75 attack drones, the BBC reported on Thursday. Air defenses destroyed 25 drones and jammed another 30.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
