Russia announced on Saturday the capture of two villages in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, pushing forward in its offensive as U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to broker a ceasefire face continued challenges.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its forces seized the village of Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia launched over 170 drones into Ukraine overnight, hitting targets in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Khmelnytskyi regions. In Dnipro, a strike on a hotel complex killed four people and wounded 21 others, including a pregnant woman.
“Russia is mocking global peacekeeping efforts, prolonging the war and spreading terror because it feels no real pressure,” Zelensky said.
In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Russian strikes killed one person and injured 14 others, according to regional governor Oleg Sinegubov.
Efforts led by the United States to negotiate ceasefires in the Black Sea and in strikes on energy infrastructure in both countries have been met with uncertainty. While both sides have agreed to truces in principle, accusations of bad faith have hindered implementation.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a “transitional administration” for Ukraine under UN auspices—a move that would require Zelensky’s removal before any peace deal could be reached. The proposal has been met with strong opposition from Kyiv.
