President Zelenskyy has warned of a potential large-scale Russian offensive, while discussions regarding peace negotiations were initiated by Kazakhstan’s president.
At least 15 people have been killed in Russian and Ukrainian drone strikes on Ukrainian territory, including five children who died in an attack on a holiday camp in a Russian-held area of eastern Ukraine, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials.
Russian-appointed authorities in the occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region said 12 people were killed overnight when drones struck the resort area of Kyrylivka, on the coast of the Sea of Azov near Melitopol.
The Russian-installed governor of the region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said the dead included five children and that a further 19 people were injured. He accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the reported strike. Kyrylivka has been under Russian control since the early stages of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russian Strike Kills 3 Courier Workers in Sumy
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack in the Sumy region killed three drivers working for the courier company Nova Poshta and set one of the company’s buildings on fire. They said the site was a civilian logistics facility.
Russia’s defence ministry, however, said the strike had targeted a Ukrainian drone storage and launch site.
Zelenskyy Warns of Major Russian Attack
The latest attacks came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in his nightly address on Friday that intelligence assessments pointed to a large-scale Russian attack. The White House said on Saturday that US President Donald Trump and Mr Zelenskyy are due to meet in Washington on Tuesday.
Also on Saturday, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said a peace agreement could be possible if both sides froze the conflict and returned to negotiations.
Speaking alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a forum in Omsk, Tokayev praised what he described as Putin’s diplomatic flexibility and suggested reviving an updated version of the Istanbul talks framework.
Romania Shoots Down Drone
Romania’s defence ministry said its forces had “safely shot down” a drone that entered the country’s airspace near the Ukrainian border.
In a post on social media, Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the drone was “shot down by a Romanian pilot from an F-16 aircraft”. The incident came a day after another suspected Russian drone was brought down near Padina, northeast of Bucharest.
Romania and other NATO members bordering Ukraine have reported repeated incursions by drones launched during the war.
In June, a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded at the Black Sea port of Constanta, while three others detonated outside the port without causing injuries.
A month earlier, a Russian drone intended for Ukraine veered off course and hit an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people.
