Deadly Russian strikes in Ukraine as UN debates war
Hanna Arhirova and Barry Hatton |
Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine have killed at least eight civilians, officials say, as Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour grinds on despite renewed appeals for a settlement at the UN General Assembly.
An overnight strike on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed six agricultural workers and wounded 12 others, Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi said on Thursday.
An attack on the capital Kyiv killed a man and a woman, he said, while officials in the southern port of Odesa also reported a major bombardment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed in a speech at the United Nations on Wednesday for countries to starve Russia of revenue through sanctions and trade bans, denying Moscow the money it needs to prolong the war.
He and other leaders at previous UN general assemblies have sought to pressure Moscow into giving up its ambitions in Ukraine.
But despite years of diplomatic efforts there is no sign of a breakthrough in ending a war that has had repercussions for the global food and energy supply, as well as severely straining relations between Russia and Western countries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow’s demand for a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary break in hostilities, following Ukraine’s call for a complete and unconditional ceasefire.
“We believe it’s necessary to seek peace, not a temporary truce,” Peskov told reporters Thursday.
Russia’s demands for Ukraine to surrender its territory, among other things, are unacceptable for Kyiv.
The aerial war has intensified in recent months.
Russia keeps hammering Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones, while Ukraine’s long-range drones target oil refineries and businesses that are a vital part of the Russian economy.
There have been few significant changes since 2025 along the roughly 1250km front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, where a huge number of drones on both sides limit movement.
The attack on Kyiv damaged more than 50 civilian sites, including apartment blocks, post offices, a maternity hospital and a textile plant, Vyhivskyi, the interior minister, said.
Russia’s defence ministry said the military overnight struck arms factories, telecommunications and logistical facilities in Kyiv and the Odesa region.
The United Nations said last week that more Ukrainian civilians were killed and wounded in the first eight months of 2026 than in the whole of 2025.
“Russia’s escalation of terror demonstrates that active diplomacy must come hand in hand with devastating pressure on Putin’s regime and unwavering support for the defence of Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
As another Ukrainian sub-zero winter approaches, Zelenskiy said things were likely to get worse, but he promised to keep fighting.
“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia, too,” the Ukrainian leader said on social media.
“And that’s exactly why we say that de-escalation steps are important are needed before winter.”
Officials in western Russia on Thursday reported Ukrainian long-range attacks.
Ukrainian drone fragments damaged an administrative building of an oil refinery in the Rostov region but there was no fire, governor Yuri Slyusar said.
In the Krasnodar region, Ukrainian drone fragments sparked a brief fire at an industrial facility, regional emergency officials said.
Romania’s defence ministry said a drone violated its airspace for four minutes before crashing in the north of the country near the border with Ukraine.
Also, Moldova’s defence ministry said it recorded a spate of airspace incursions during Russia’s attacks on neighbouring Ukraine.
AP