Russian strike against Ukraine killed at least 20 people because a large number of air strikes continued until the second night after the U.S. decided to stop sharing satellite images with Ukraine, officials said Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to withhold intelligence and military aid was followed by a White House visit last week. Without U.S. satellite images, Ukraine's ability to attack and defend bombing within Russia has greatly reduced.
Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said at least 11 people were killed late Friday in a small town in Ukraine's embattled Donetsk region. The attack damaged the eight apartment blocks in the town of Dobrobia, close to the front lines where Russian troops have been steadily advancing.
The Ukrainian Emergency Services Ministry said a Russian drone damaged Ukrainian fire trucks while rescuers worked to put out the burning buildings.
Filashkin said six more people were killed in front-tier towns in Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, Myrnograd and Ivanopilya, while Filashkin said the Ministry of Emergency Services reported that three more people died when Russian drones attacked civilian workshops in Kharkiv northeastern region.
Filashkin announced a day of mourning in the area on Saturday, warning that more victims can still be found in the rubble.
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Zelenskyy said there were at least five children in Dobropella's injury. “Last night, Russian troops fired two ballistic missiles at the Dobropila Center,” he said. “After the emergency services arrived at the scene, they went on strike again, deliberately targeting rescuers. This is an evil and inhumane intimidation tactic that Russians often resort to.”
The tide of attacks came 24 hours after Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities with dozens of missiles and drones, but powered its ability to heat and light to citizens and weapons factories that are crucial to defense.
The United States freezes the pressure of intelligence sharing Zelenskyy
The barrage was to accept the peace deal proposed by the Trump administration after the United States suspended military aid and intelligence from Ukraine.
When a reporter asked Russian President Vladimir Putin whether he was using the U.S. suspension on intelligence sharing to attack Ukraine during an Oval Office exchange on Friday, President Donald Trump replied: “I think he is doing anything else.”
Zelenskyy did not mention the intelligence-sharing agreement on Saturday, but it seems that other statements made on Trump’s financial sanctions on Moscow on Friday are indeed fascinating. The U.S. president wrote on social media, proposing large-scale bank sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and a final peaceful settlement were reached.
Zelenskyy welcomed the prospect of additional sanctions on Moscow, saying: “All everything that helped Putin fund the war must be broken.”
Zelenskyy said in an article on X that he will travel with other senior Ukrainian officials, including Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak, heading to Saudi Arabia next week to talk to their U.S. rivals.
“From the first second of this war, Ukraine has been seeking peace. The realistic advice is on the table. The key is to act quickly and effectively,” he said.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported on Saturday that Russian troops fired three Iskander missiles and 145 drones in the country overnight. Bombing includes a mix of attack and bait drones, intended to confuse air defense. The Ukrainian Air Force said a missile and 79 drones were shot down, while another 54 drone losses were lost without causing damage.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Russian troops shot down 31 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 26 in the country's Krasnodar region.
Local Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said in a statement that debris from a drone caused a fire at the Kinef oil refinery in the Leningrad region of northern Russia. No casualties.
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