On the early hours of Thursday, a Russian drone attacks on the Black sea port city of Odesa claimed the lives of two people and wounded 15 others, Ukrainian emergency services said.
According to Reginal Gov. Oleh Kiper, the barrage struck apartment uildings, private homes, a supermarket and a school.
Videos shared by Kiper on Telegram showed a high-rise building with a severely damaged facade, a shattered storefront, and firefighters battling flames.
A drone struck and ignited a fire at a petrol station in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
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According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 170 explosive drones and decoys into five Ukrainian areas during the new wave of attacks overnight into Thursday. It stated 74 of them were intercepted and another 68 were lost, most likely due to electronic jamming. In addition to the drones, Russia reportedly launched five ballistic missiles during the overnight assault.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that air defenses shot down eight Ukrainian drones overnight.
The latest wave of attacks came after the United States and Ukraine signed an agreement on Wednesday granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, completing a deal months in the making that could allow Kyiv to continue receiving military aid amid concerns that President Donald Trump may withdraw support for ongoing peace talks with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World War II as the U.S. presses for a deal to end the 3-year-old war.
The Kremlin said the truce to mark Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 — the country’s biggest secular holiday — will run from the start of May 8 and last through the end of May 10.
