At least three people were killed in the night from Saturday to Sunday by heavy Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. It is the second day in a row that Russia has attacked Kyiv with drones.
The fire service recovered two bodies from a burnt-out house in Obukhiv, reports Mykola Kalashnyk, the governor of the province around Kyiv. Obukhiv is a town just outside Kyiv.
The third victim came from Bucha, which is also located near the Ukrainian capital. In addition, at least twenty people were injured in Kyiv itself and the surrounding province.
The authorities in Kyiv had warned the population that a drone attack was coming. They called on residents to seek a safe shelter.
On the night from Friday to Saturday, Russia also carried out a drone attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. A total of thirteen people were killed, including in Odesa. There were no fatalities in Kyiv, but thirteen people were injured.
No Peace Negotiations Yet
Despite efforts by, among others, US President Donald Trump, peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have not yet started. Trump was optimistic about such talks last week, after he spoke by telephone with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky and Putin were more reserved in their reaction. Putin continued to maintain that he wants to eliminate “the root causes of this crisis.” This is a statement that Putin often makes, without it being very clear what he means by it. Zelensky responded that Ukraine will not give in to Russian demands, such as control of five Ukrainian regions.
Trump’s phone calls came a few days after consultations between delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul. Those also yielded few concrete agreements. However, a prisoner exchange of a thousand prisoners of war from both camps was agreed. The first prisoners were exchanged on Friday and Saturday.
Ukraine and Russia have so far regularly made agreements to exchange prisoners. But this week’s exchange is the largest since the Russian invasion in 2022.