Ukraine attacked an airport inside Russian territory overnight as both sides strike amid efforts by the Trump administration to finalize details of a partial ceasefire, officials said Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been with President Trump for hours, attacks on Russian airports, and has accepted the Kremlin's proposal to pause each other for interactive attacks on energy targets over 30 days, a step towards a wider ceasefire shooting.
Russia's defense ministry said it had shot down 54 Ukrainian drones in the Saratov region overnight. The area is home to Engels Airport, which has some Russian bombers with long-range nuclear capabilities.
Although the ministry did not say how many people were escaping air defense, the New York Times confirmed that at least one strike targeted Engels’ airport shortly after sunrise Thursday.
The videos and photos shared by witnesses on social media were verified by The New York Times, showing the explosion and a large amount of black smoke rising from the base, a loud minor explosion after the strike. The strike appears to target a portion of the airport with several warehouses, described online as weapons storage areas.
Saratov Governor Roman Busargin said Thursday that civilians living near the airport were evacuated “for safety reasons” due to the fire at the base. He added in an article on the Telegram Messaging app that about 30 homes were damaged.
Ukrainian troops confirmed in a statement that they attacked the airport. Kiev has previously targeted the base, calling Russia's long-term attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure a phase.
Overnight, Russian troops also conducted further strikes on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said on Thursday that Russia launched 171 drones, 63 of which were shot down by air defense. At least five people were killed and 26 injured nationwide, according to local authorities.
Although both Russia and Ukraine agree to temporarily stop energy infrastructure targeting each other, how and when the pause will take effect. These details are expected to be discussed in the upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia – Mr Zelensky said on Wednesday night that “everything will continue to fly” until “there are appropriate documents” negotiation terms.
The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian and U.S. officials are blasting the details of the new bilateral speech. The talks will be held in the Saudi Arabia capital on Monday, Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir V. Putin, told Russian news agencies.
Mr Zelensky described some of the Kremlin proposals as a procrastination strategy to orchestrate military advantages and get better deals from Mr Trump. On Thursday morning, he pointed out that the Russian attacks did not stop.
“A hundred drone and missile attacks every day and every night will not stop,” he wrote in the telegram. “Every time such a strike Russia shows the world its true attitude toward peace.”
Nataliia Novosolova,,,,, Nataliya Vasilyeva and Malaki Brown Contribution report.
