Ukraine, Russia exchange deadly drone attacks amid ceasefire maneuvering
LONDON -- Cross-border drone attacks killed civilians in both Ukraine and Russia overnight into Sunday, according to local officials, as the two sides continued long-range strikes despite agreeing -- in principle -- to a limited ceasefire last week.
At least three people -- including a 5-year-old girl and her father -- were killed in a drone attack in Kyiv, the local military administration said, with at least 10 more people injured.
Ukraine's air force reported 147 drones launched into the country, 97 of which were shot down and 25 were lost in flight without causing damage. The Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa and Donetsk regions were affected, the air force said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to seek cover while air defenses engaged a "massive" number of incoming UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles. The mayor reported falling debris and fires in three districts of the capital.
"The terrorist state has once again shown who it really is," the Kyiv military administration wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that foreign components remain vital to Russian munitions, calling for "new solutions" to block their continued import to Russia despite the Western-led sanctions campaign against Russia. Ukraine needs "new pressure on Moscow so that such strikes and this war stop," the president said.
"We must strengthen Ukraine and our army -- more air defense and real assistance," Zelenskyy added. "I thank all partners who understand this and continue to support Ukraine."
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, wrote on social media, "Russia does not cease fire." Russian President Vladimir Putin, he added, "wants to continue killing civilians, this must be stopped."
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight, with a major attack reported in the southwestern Rostov region, which borders Ukraine.
The attack set fire to a car on a highway in the Rostov region, with one person inside the vehicle killed, said Yury Slyusar, the region's acting governor. Slyusar described the attack as "massive."
Elsewhere, the governor of the Astrakhan region said a residential building was damaged by falling drone debris.
Drone strikes have continued through the weekend despite last week's apparent progress toward a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire, though Kyiv and Moscow appeared to have different understandings of what that would entail.
Following talks with President Donald Trump, both Zelenskyy and Putin signaled their support for a partial freeze on long-range strikes. The White House said the pause would cover "energy and infrastructure" targets.
The Kremlin said the agreement related to "energy infrastructure," while Zelenskyy suggested Ukraine wanted ports, railways and "other civilian infrastructure" covered by the deal.
Ukrainian and American negotiators are due to meet again in Saudi Arabia on Monday, with details of the proposed ceasefire expected to be among the topics of discussion.
Trump and his top officials have framed the potential partial ceasefire as a springboard for a broader peace deal to end Russia's war on its neighbor. Meanwhile, European allies have been working with Kyiv on a peace proposal to present to the White House, which may include European peacekeepers deployed on Ukrainian soil -- a prospect the Kremlin has repeatedly rejected.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff dismissed the British- and French-led plan in an interview with Tucker Carlson, during which he also made several remarks aligned with misleading Russian narratives about the conflict.
Witkoff said the European proposal of deploying allied troops to Ukraine was "simplistic" and "a posture."
ABC News' Natalia Kushnir, Fidel Pavlenko and Victoria Beaule contributed to this report.
