Three people were killed and about 20 injured in nighttime Russian attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine, local authorities reported today, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
Early this morning, Russia launched airstrikes on Slavyansk with guided bombs, which killed "two spouses, 45 and 48 years old, respectively", Ukrinform reported, citing Vadim Lyakh, head of the city's military administration, who announced this on "Facebook".
According to him, at 04:30 Russian forces launched airstrikes with guided bombs. There are reports of strikes on civilian objects. At least 5 houses were damaged, two of which were destroyed. Three people were pulled from the rubble. A young man was injured. He is in hospital. His parents could not be saved, Lyakh noted.
Located about 20 kilometers from the front line, Slavyansk is regularly targeted by Russian forces.
In southern Ukraine, the Odessa region was the subject of a massive Russian drone attack, killing at least one person.
“The body of a man was found under the rubble,“ said the head of the city's military administration, Sergiy Lysak.
“Any Russian attack of this kind undermines the ongoing diplomatic efforts and undermines the efforts of our partners to end the war,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
”We expect the United States, Europe and other partners not to remain silent and to remember that in order to achieve real peace, it is necessary to put pressure on Moscow,” he added.
According to According to Oleg Kiper, governor of the Odessa region, at this moment there is information about 23 injured. "Nine people were taken to hospital, including two children and a pregnant woman," the governor said on social media.
There may still be victims under the rubble, he said, adding that rescue teams were still working.
An AFP journalist at the scene saw the facade of an apartment building collapse and rescuers were searching the rubble for victims.
Odessa is Ukraine's largest port city on the Black Sea, and its energy and port infrastructure is regularly targeted by attacks.
According to Oleg Kiper, the drones damaged "dozens of residential buildings" as well as "a church, a kindergarten, a high school and a fitness center."
Ukrainian air defenses reported today that 165 Russian strike drones were launched against Ukraine overnight, of which 135 have been shot down.
The Russian attacks come after talks between American, Ukrainian and Russian officials took place in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday - the first known direct talks between Kiev and Moscow on the US plan to resolve the conflict. A new trilateral meeting is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had captured the village of Kupyansk-Vuzlovy in Kharkiv region and the village of Novoyakovlivka in Zaporizhia region, where Russian forces are continuing their offensive.