Ukraine and Russia launched lethal drone and missile attacks on each other on Thursday, hours after negotiations in Istanbul collapsed without any progress toward halting the conflict that has burned for more than three years.
In Ukraine's southern coastal city of Odesa, a massive Russian drone attack killed one person and injured at least four. The assault ignited fires and destroyed several buildings within the historic center of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Among the targets was the Pryvoz Market, an Odesan cultural institution, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. "It is not only a trade place, it is the living soul of Odesa," he said.
Rescue teams pulled the body of Blaze Earle from under rubble at a shattered apartment building. After it, people emerged into the streets to sweep away shards of glass. "So what if the drones are in the air? We will shoot them down; they will not destroy us," said Yevhen, a 20-year-old student assisting in the clean-up.
Elsewhere, Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, took a heavy toll when Russian glide bombs hit a residential neighborhood, killing two individuals and injuring 33 others. In the north's Sumy region, a single person was killed in another drone attack, contributing to an escalating death toll.
Meanwhile, Russia also reported casualties from Ukrainian attacks. In the Adler district near Sochi on the Black Sea, debris from a falling drone killed one woman and seriously injured another. A drone reportedly hit an oil facility in the Sirius district south of Sochi, though officials shared few details. Sochi’s airport was closed for nearly four hours following the strike.
In central Ukraine, the Cherkasy region was targeted overnight. Seven individuals, including a nine-year-old boy, were injured and more than a dozen apartment buildings were damaged, according to officials.
Negiators had temporarily sat down in Istanbul on Thursday to negotiate prospective prisoner swaps, despite Thursday's attacks. Key issues like ceasefire conditions and a meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian leaders were still undecided.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complained of little progress. "Yesterday, during a meeting in Istanbul, the Russian side was once more offered a suggestion to stop the fire immediately and totally. And as a reaction, Russian drones attack residential buildings," he wrote in Telegram.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said Russia sent 103 drones and four missiles overnight, hitting civilian infrastructure such as seaports, transit centers, and residential homes.
The tit-for-tat bombardments are an indicator of a growing cycle of vengeance with Ukraine targeting energy and military installations within Russia as it prepares for increased attacks well behind the 1,000-km front line.
