At least six people were killed in Russian drone and bomb attacks across eastern and southern Ukraine on Friday, local officials said, as Moscow continues to escalate its military campaign despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s warnings of renewed sanctions.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified both its long-range aerial bombardments and ground assaults, targeting civilian infrastructure and frontline towns. The renewed offensive comes in defiance of Trump’s call for a ceasefire, warning the Kremlin it could face sweeping new sanctions if no peace agreement is reached.
The latest wave of attacks struck several Ukrainian regions. In the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, a key industrial and mining hub, three people were killed. Two died in a drone strike that ignited a fire in the Kamyanske district, damaging administrative buildings, a shop, and several homes, according to regional governor Sergiy Lysak. A third victim, a 52-year-old man, was killed in a separate attack in the same region.
Elsewhere, one person was killed in each of the Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions — all areas that are partly under Russian occupation and frequent targets of shelling and missile strikes.
Ukraine’s military reported that Russia launched 35 long-range drones overnight — a relatively low number compared to the large-scale barrages Moscow has demonstrated it is capable of unleashing. Despite this, the strikes caused significant damage and civilian casualties.
In a parallel statement, Russia’s defense ministry claimed it had shot down 73 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, including 10 that it said were heading toward Moscow.
The attacks mark another grim milestone in a war that has dragged into its third year, with diplomacy stalled and both sides bracing for further escalation.
— AFP
