Russian troops beat Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and killing dozens of people, officials said Thursday, despite international pressure from a ceasefire.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 63 drones and baits in Ukraine overnight. It said air defense destroyed 28 drones, while another 21 were blocked.
Ukrainian police said that in the past 24 hours, two people have been killed and six people have been injured in the Donetsk region, which is the focus of the Russian offensive. Police said a man was killed and another 14 were injured in the southern part of South Kerson, which was partly occupied by Russian forces.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkif region, said 15 people, including four children, were injured overnight by Russian drone attacks.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones target residential areas, educational facilities, kindergartens and other civilian infrastructure.
“Kharkiv has been insisting. People are still alive. That’s the most important thing,” Terekov said.
In recent days, the Russian military has launched a wave of drones and missiles, setting nearly 500 drone bombings on Monday, and wasted 315 drones and 7 missiles overnight on Tuesday. The latest upgrade in the air strikes with the new Russian battlefield along the front lines of more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 600 miles) along the east and northeast.
Although Russian missiles and drone barrage attacks across Ukraine, areas along the front line face Russian attacks, explosive drones and glide bombs every day.
Ukraine was hit by a drone raid. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defense volume dropped 52 Ukrainian drones earlier on Thursday, including 41 in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the three were injured in the Ukrainian attack on Thursday.
Despite discussions on a potential ceasefire in the war, the attacks continued. During talks in Istanbul on June 2, negotiators from Russia and Ukraine traded memorandums with very different conditions that both sides viewed as non-stage, making any quick deal unlikely.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the meeting of leaders of European countries in southeastern Odessa, urging the EU to strengthen its latest sanctions on Russia. He believes that due to insufficient proposals by the group, the cap on Russian oil prices will be reduced from $60 to $45.
“Real peace comes with a $30 cap – that’s where Moscow really changes mindset,” Zelenskyy said.
German news agency DPA said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kiev on Thursday during a visit on Thursday, noting that Russia’s attack on Ukraine conveyed a message from Moscow, saying it “has no interest in the current peace solution.”
Pistorius said his visit stressed that the new German government continued to support Ukraine.
“Of course, it will also be about future support from Germany and other Europeans – for example, in the field of industrial cooperation, there are other support,” he said.
