Russian air strikes across Ukraine and a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia’s Saratov region left multiple people dead and several others injured overnight into Sunday, as the war entered another day of escalating attacks.
In eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, at least one person was killed and two others injured after two Russian strikes targeted the city of Druzhkivka on Sunday morning, local police reported. The blasts damaged at least five houses and two vehicles.
In the north, a Russian strike hit the Sumy Military Administration building, regional head Oleh Hryhorov confirmed, though no injuries were reported. In Dnipropetrovsk, a train station in the city of Synelnykove came under attack, leading to several train cancellations, according to the chairman of Ukraine’s state railway operator.
Ukraine’s Air Force stated that Russia launched 100 drones overnight, with 70 intercepted and destroyed by air defences.
Meanwhile, inside Russia, a Ukrainian drone struck an industrial facility in Saratov, killing one person and damaging several nearby apartments, regional governor Roman Busargin said. Residents from three apartments were evacuated due to debris. Local media reported that the strike sparked a large fire and explosions at a Saratov oil refinery.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its air defence units destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, including eight over Saratov.
In battlefield developments, Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces had recaptured the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region, about 30 kilometres west of intense fighting. Russian troops have been pushing deeper into Sumy for more than two months since opening a new front in the northeast.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed a joint statement by European leaders calling for a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv, with “robust and credible” security guarantees. The statement, signed by leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, the UK, and the European Commission president, stressed that “international borders must not be changed by force” and that “meaningful negotiations” could only happen with a ceasefire or reduced hostilities.
The diplomatic push comes ahead of a planned meeting in Alaska on Friday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. The White House has confirmed Trump will grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Moscow has long sought. Trump has suggested a potential peace deal could involve “some swapping of territories,” sparking concerns that Kyiv might face pressure to concede land or accept restrictions on its sovereignty.
A White House official said Trump remains open to a possible trilateral summit with both Putin and Zelenskyy but, for now, will meet only with the Russian leader at Putin’s request.
