KYIV, Ukraine — Russian air attacks killed two civilians, including a nine-year-old girl, and injured several others in southern Ukraine, officials said Saturday, as strikes intensified amid stalled peace talks with Moscow.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian forces launched guided aerial bomb attacks on residential neighborhoods overnight, killing a young girl and injuring a 16-year-old boy, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration. The assault destroyed at least one home and damaged several others in the targeted area.
“This was a deliberate strike on civilian infrastructure,” Fedorov said in a statement on Telegram, condemning the renewed bombardment in an area that has seen repeated Russian offensives since the invasion began.
In Kherson, a city repeatedly targeted by artillery and drone fire since being recaptured by Ukrainian forces in late 2022, a 66-year-old man was killed by Russian shelling, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The man suffered fatal injuries during another wave of indiscriminate attacks, officials said.
The deaths come amid an ongoing wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine, which have increasingly focused on southern regions, including Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv.
In Kharkiv, located in the country’s northeast, one person was wounded following a Russian drone attack, local mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed. The strike caused damage to several residential buildings but was quickly contained by emergency services.
Meanwhile, in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukrainian drone attacks injured 10 people overnight, according to acting regional governor Alexander Khinshtein, who posted the details on Telegram. The strikes reportedly targeted military-linked facilities, though independent verification remains pending.
The latest casualties come as diplomatic efforts to end the war have shown little progress, despite a recent rare round of direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul—the first in over three years.
While the initial session earlier this month led to a limited prisoner exchange and tentative agreement to continue communication, substantial breakthroughs remain elusive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking Friday, expressed skepticism about any further negotiations unless Russia outlines clear peace proposals in advance.
“Moscow is doing everything it can to derail potential dialogue,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post. “There must be a ceasefire to continue moving toward peace. We need to stop the killing of people.”
Zelensky added that he had spoken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding a possible second round of talks in Istanbul, and emphasized that any renewed diplomatic meeting must yield tangible outcomes. “It cannot and should not be a waste of time,” he said.
The Kremlin has stated it will send negotiators to Istanbul for a second round of discussions on Monday, though Ukrainian officials have not confirmed attendance.
Ukrainian analysts suggest the latest Russian assaults on civilian areas could be a strategy to gain leverage at the negotiation table—or to derail the process entirely.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the war has left tens of thousands dead, displaced millions, and razed entire towns and villages across Ukraine’s east and south.
As attacks continue and peace efforts remain fragile, the toll on ordinary Ukrainians only grows heavier—with children and the elderly increasingly among the dead.
