Russia targets Ukraine with drones, missiles after Trump, Putin meeting delay
Russian forces launched drone and missile attacks into Ukraine overnight Wednesday, killing six people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky said on social platform X that 10 regions across Ukraine were targeted, with energy infrastructure facilities and residential buildings hit. Among the six killed, two were children, he noted.
“Another night proving that Russia does not feel enough pressure for dragging out the war,” Zelensky added.
In the Brovary district of Kyiv, a Russian drone struck a house, setting it on fire and killing a woman and her 12-year-old and 6-month-old daughters, regional head Mykola Kalashnyk said on X. Kalashnyk added that another man in Brovary died due to shrapnel wounds.
Ukrainian authorities said the attacks injured at least 29 people, including five children, in Kyiv.
Nearly 300 miles away, in Kharkiv, a Russian drone hit a kindergarten while children were inside, killing one and injuring seven, Zelensky said on X. The president added that all the children were evacuated and that “preliminary reports indicate that many are showing acute stress reactions.”
In total, Russia fired 405 drones and 28 missiles in the attacks, the Ukrainian air force said on X, adding that its air defenders shot down 333 drones and 16 missiles.
The general staff of Ukraine’s army said Tuesday on X its forces struck a chemical plant in Russia’s Bryansk region. Ukraine also said it struck a mechanical plant and oil refinery in Saransk and Dagestan republics, respectively.
The Russian defense ministry also said its air defenses downed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight, with eight airports temporarily suspending flights amid the attack.
These latest developments come as Ukraine seeks further regional and global support in the war against Russia, which began in February 2022.
On Wednesday, Zelensky met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo, Norway, securing a package worth “150 million dollars” to support Ukrainian gas purchases in the winter. Zelensky is also meeting Wednesday with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meanwhile, had what a White House official described to The Hill as a “productive call” Tuesday. The official added that there are “no plans” for President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet “in the immediate future.”
This marks a shift after last Thursday when, following a phone call with Putin, Trump said he expected to meet his Russian counterpart in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks.
Trump and Zelensky met at the White House on Friday, when the U.S. president hesitated to commit to sending Ukraine Tomahawk missiles. Military experts told The Hill last week that the missiles would give Kyiv increased range and capability to hit Russian military and energy targets.
The Associated Press contributed.