KYIV — A Russian airstrike on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 12 people, including three children, overnight Saturday, as both Russia and Ukraine reported widespread drone attacks that left at least 22 others injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the death toll in Zaporizhzhia, where Russian glide bombs struck residential areas, damaging homes, infrastructure and railway facilities.
Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Defense Council, said 16 people were injured in the attack, while the whereabouts of another 12 remained unknown.
Zelenskyy linked the deadly strike to Washington’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports following an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president accused Moscow of interpreting sanctions relief as an opportunity to intensify its military campaign.
“Last night confirmed once again that in Russia, they take any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities,” he said.
Zelenskyy said Russia must recognize the need to end the war, warning that Ukraine would respond to continued attacks.
Separately, Ukraine’s Air Force said Russian forces launched 160 drones overnight, of which 117 were intercepted or suppressed by Ukrainian defenses.
Ukrainian drone attacks injure six in Russia
In Russia, Ukrainian drone strikes injured six people in the southern Rostov region, according to regional Governor Yury Slyusar.
Slyusar said several apartment buildings and private homes in Rostov-on-Don sustained damage, along with an unoccupied building in Bataysk and two vessels in the port city of Azov.
No casualties were initially reported aboard the damaged vessels.
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russian air defenses had tracked 403 drones heading toward the Moscow region overnight.
He said most were intercepted at long range, while another 25 were destroyed as they approached the Russian capital.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting or destroying 560 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
The ministry also claimed Russian forces had struck Ukrainian port infrastructure and vessels allegedly supporting Ukraine’s military operations.
Among the reported targets was a cargo ship that Moscow claimed was transporting military-related supplies to the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
The battlefield claims and interception figures reported by both sides could not be independently verified.
The latest attacks came amid renewed diplomatic tensions following the Trump-Putin agreement on Russian diesel supplies, which Zelenskyy has criticized as a move that could provide Moscow with additional resources to sustain its war.
Source: Saudi Gazette