KYIV, UKRAINE: A Russian drone attack killed at least four people and wounded 21 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, damaging high-rise buildings and triggering fires in a hotel, service stations and homes, an official said Saturday.
Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up their aerial attacks even as US President Donald Trump pushes the Kremlin and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire after more than three years of costly fighting.
Late Friday, Russia sent “more than two dozen drones” to Dnipro, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region Sergiy Lysak wrote on his official Telegram account.
Lysak said four people were killed, and by Saturday morning he sent an updated statement that said the number of wounded had risen to 21.
“The massive attack caused large-scale destruction and fires. A hotel and restaurant complex, 11 private houses, garages, and a service station were on fire,” he said, adding that high-rises and cars were also damaged.
The fires were extinguished, Lysak said, offering condolences to the families of the victims.
On Friday Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a “transitional administration” to be put in place in Ukraine and vowed his army would “finish off” Ukrainian troops.
Russia says it downed two Ukrainian drones over Black Sea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Putin’s call for a UN-run administration as the Russian leader’s latest ploy to delay a peace deal.
Russia and Ukraine have also each accused each other of breaching commitments to not strike energy facilities, throwing yet more jeopardy on the prospects of even a temporary and partial halt in the three-year war.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has pushed for a ceasefire, with navigation on the Black Sea forming an early part of negotiations.
But the UN rights chief on Friday said that in parallel with these talks, “fighting in Ukraine has intensified, and is killing and injuring even more civilians”.
“Casualty figures in the first three months of this year were 30 percent higher than the same period last year,” Volker Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council.
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