Four killed In Mass Russian Drone Attack On Dnipro, Ukraine says

Four people have been killed and another 21 injured in a mass Russian drone attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the area’s regional head has said.

Serhiy Lysak said a restaurant complex and several residential buildings were ablaze after the attack late on Friday.

He added that “the enemy sent more than 20 drones” to the city, and that “most of them were shot down”.

Images and videos later emerged showing firefighters tackling large fires that had engulfed the buildings that were struck, and smashed glass and other debris scattered on the city streets.

Overnight, air sirens were heard sounding in several other Ukrainian regions, including the capital, Kyiv. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration in Zelensky’s home city Kryvyi Rih, also confirmed on Telegram that there was a ballistic missile attack on the central city on Saturday morning, and that so far five people had been wounded.

High-rise buildings and private houses, a school, a car wash were damaged in the strike, he said.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said three Ukrainian drones were either intercepted or shot down over the western Belgorod region.

In his video address late on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again accused Russia of targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure – in violation of a temporary moratorium agreed earlier this month in talks involving the US.

Moscow has also repeatedly blamed Ukraine for attacking Russia’s energy sector.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested earlier this week that Ukraine should temporarily be placed under UN control to elect what he called a more “competent” government.

It was seen as the latest attempt by the Kremlin to challenge the legitimacy of the Kyiv government – a move widely condemned by Ukraine’s allies.

Ukraine accused Putin of proposing “crazy” ideas to delay further movement towards a ceasefire deal being championed by US President Donald Trump.

Washington said on Tuesday that the two sides had agreed to a limited truce in the Black Sea.

But Russia then put forward a list of conditions, including the lifting of some Western sanctions, prompting concerns that Moscow was trying to derail any moves towards a ceasefire.

In a separate development, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France and the UK were moving forward with plans for a “reassurance force” in Ukraine.

The proposal was discussed at a summit of the “coalition of the willing” – Ukraine’s allies from more than 30 countries – in Paris.

Russia has repeatedly warned that the deployment of any European troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable, and such forces would be seen by the Kremlin as a legitimate target.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory. [BBC]