Russian military strikes on southern Ukraine overnight have claimed the lives of a 66-year-old man and a nine-year-old girl in two separate incidents, Ukrainian officials reported on Saturday.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, guided aerial bombs launched by Russian forces struck a residential area, killing the young girl and injuring a 16-year-old boy. According to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, the blast destroyed one house and damaged several others.
Elsewhere, in the southern city of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed that Russian shelling resulted in the death of a 66-year-old man. The continued bombardment underscores the ongoing human cost of Russia’s invasion, now in its third year, which has devastated much of Ukraine’s east and south and forced millions to flee.
Meanwhile, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, one person was wounded in a Russian drone strike, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Ukraine also launched retaliatory drone attacks, wounding 10 people in Russia’s Kursk region, as reported by acting governor Alexander Khinshtein.
While the violence on the ground escalates, diplomatic efforts to end the war remain fragile. Earlier this month, representatives from both Ukraine and Russia met in Istanbul for their first direct talks in over three years. The discussions yielded a limited prisoner exchange and a commitment to maintain communication, but no significant breakthrough.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains skeptical about the potential for meaningful progress. Speaking on Friday, Zelensky stated that Ukraine would not attend further negotiations unless Russia presents concrete peace terms beforehand. “There must be a ceasefire to continue moving towards peace. We need to stop the killing of people,” he emphasized in a Telegram post.
Zelensky also discussed conditions for potential future talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, indicating that any new meeting in Istanbul must be productive. While Russia has announced it will send a delegation for a second round of negotiations on Monday, Ukraine has yet to confirm its participation, signaling ongoing uncertainty in the peace process.
