Deadly Russian drone attack in Ukraine before next US talks in Saudi Arabia
According to police, 12 drones struck the city. Residential and commercial buildings, as reported by regional governor Ivan Fedorov, were reportedly set on fire by residents. Emergency services were frantically searching for survivors in the rubble, as captured in the photos from the scene.
After US President Donald Trump held separate calls with the leaders of the nations on consecutive days, the countries’ leaders reached an agreement on a limited ceasefire this week. However, what actual targets would be off limits to attack is a contentious issue.
The three parties’ opinions on the limited truce appeared to be wildly divergent. The White House stated that the agreement would include “energy and infrastructure,” but the Kremlin stated that it would only cover “energy infrastructure.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated that he also wanted to protect ports and railroads.
Three members of one family made up the Zaporizhzhia’s deceased. According to Fedorov, doctors battled for the mother’s life for more than 10 hours while pulling the bodies of the father and daughter out of the rubble, according to Fedorov in a message on Telegram.
Russia fired 179 drones and decoys overnight into Saturday, according to the Ukrainian air force. 63 lost, most likely due to being electronically jammed, while 100 were reported intercepted.
Additionally, fires reportedly broke out as a result of falling debris from intercepted drones in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense of Russia claimed that 47 Ukrainian drones were shot down by its air defense systems. As both sides accused each other of blowing up a Russian gas pumping station in a border area where Ukrainian troops have been retreating, Russian officials added that Moscow reserves the right to a “symmetrical response.”
“Provotions are being used once more to disrupt the negotiation process as in 2022,” the statement continued. The Russian Federation reserves the right to respond, including with a symmetrical response, according to the ministry.
After speaking with Trump on Wednesday, Zelenskyy stated to reporters that the US and Ukraine would discuss technical details of the partial ceasefire at their meeting on Monday in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Russian negotiators will speak with US officials there in separate sessions.
According to Zelenskyy, “We will not be against any format, any steps toward an unconditional ceasefire,” Ukraine is open to a full, 30-day ceasefire that Trump has suggested.
Ukraine and its Western allies objected to the Russian president’s complete ceasefire conditional on the halt of arms deliveries to Kyiv and the suspension of Ukraine’s military mobilization.
Without giving an answer as to what issue, Russian Senator Grigory Karasin, who will lead the Russian delegation, told the Zvezda TV channel on Saturday.
He stated that Sergey Beseda, a fellow negotiator, and Sergey Beseda, a FSB adviser, would be in a “combative and constructive” mood during the discussions.
A senior Ukrainian official told the AFP news agency a day earlier that Kyiv hopes to reach an “at least” partial ceasefire covering attacks on energy, infrastructure, and the sea.
According to Karasin, who is employed by Russia’s Defense Ministry, “we are going with the mood to fight for the solution of at least one issue.” He stated that his team would travel to Saudi Arabia on Sunday and would make a Tuesday return.
Because Karasin and Beseda are not members of traditional diplomatic bodies like the Kremlin, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the Defense Ministry, their choice of negotiators for the talks has sparked controversy.
Beseda, a long-time FSB officer, and now the service’s director, is a career diplomat who currently sits in the upper house of parliament in Russia.
Source: Aljazeera
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