Russian attacks on southern Ukraine have claimed the lives of two civilians, including a young girl, in a fresh wave of violence that underscores the enduring toll of the ongoing conflict.
Ukrainian officials reported on Saturday that overnight shelling and airstrikes struck residential areas in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. In Zaporizhzhia, a nine-year-old girl was killed and a 16-year-old boy injured when Russian forces dropped guided aerial bombs on a civilian neighborhood, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration. One house was completely destroyed and several others damaged in the attack.
In Kherson, a separate Russian shelling killed a 66-year-old man, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed.
Elsewhere, a drone strike in the eastern city of Kharkiv left one person wounded, local authorities said.
Meanwhile, inside Russian territory, Ukrainian drone attacks reportedly injured 10 people in the Kursk region overnight, according to acting governor Alexander Khinshtein.
The violence comes amid fragile diplomatic developments. Earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks in over three years in Istanbul. The negotiations led to a prisoner exchange but little else, with both sides offering cautious optimism but no breakthrough.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a statement on Friday, reiterated his skepticism about further talks without concrete proposals from Moscow. “There must be a ceasefire to continue moving towards peace. We need to stop the killing of people,” he said on Telegram.
Zelensky also noted ongoing discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding a potential follow-up meeting in Istanbul, stressing that future dialogue “cannot and should not be a waste of time.”
Russia has announced plans to send a delegation to Istanbul on Monday for a second round of talks. However, Kyiv has yet to confirm its participation, raising uncertainty about the prospects for meaningful progress.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the war has killed tens of thousands, devastated large swaths of eastern and southern Ukraine, and displaced millions. Despite global calls for peace, the fighting continues with deadly consequences for civilians on both sides.
Written By Rodney Mbua
