Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – Russia launched a heavy air attack on Ukraine on the second night on Saturday after the US stopped sharing satellite images with the Ukrainian government, officials said. At least 22 people have died.
The US decision to withhold intelligence news and military aid came just after a fierce White House visit by Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky last week. President Donald Trump is trying to pressure Ukraine to accept a peace deal with Russia.
Without US satellite imagery, Ukraine’s ability to attack and protect itself from artillery fire would be significantly reduced.
“This happens when someone appeases a barrage,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tass wrote on Saturday. “More bombs, more aggression, more casualties. Another tragic night in Ukraine.”
He said that at least 11 people have been killed in multiple strikes in a town in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine in four towns near the front where Russian troops are steadily progressing, and that Russian troops are making steady progress. Emergency Services officials reported that a Russian drone was killed when it struck a private workshop in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. A man was killed by fire in the area.
Firashkin declared a day of mourning on Saturday, warning that more casualties could still be found in the tile rub.
Russia launched two ballistic missiles into the centre of the frontline town of Dobropyria, and then launched a strike targeting responding rescuers. Forty-seven people were injured in the attack, including seven children.
“It’s a mean, inhumane threatening tactic that Russians often rely on,” he said.
Just 24 hours before the attack, Russia crashed into Ukrainian energy facilities with dozens of missiles and drones, hobling its ability to deliver heat and light to citizens and drive weapons factories essential to its defense.
Trump says Putin is “doing something someone else does”
When asked on Friday whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was using the intelligence sharing suspension to attack Ukraine, Trump replied: “I think he’s doing what someone else is doing.”
Zelensky did not mention sharing the intelligence news on Saturday, but welcomed Trump’s proposal on Friday, and welcomed the imposition of massive bank sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and final peace settlement.
“Everything that supports Putin’s funding must break the war,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky also said he and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials will travel to Saudi Arabia later this week to discuss the proposal aimed at ending the war. In a post on X, he wrote that he was scheduled to meet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, but that only his team would remain in the country to meet with US officials.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace since the first seconds of this war,” he wrote. “There are realistic suggestions on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.”
A barrage of missiles and drones
The Ukrainian Air Force reported on Saturday that Russian forces fired three Iskander missiles and 145 drones across the country overnight. The bombing involved a mix of attacks and decoy drones aimed at disrupting air defenses. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, one missile and 79 drones were fired down, and 54 drones were lost without causing damage.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have fired down 31 Ukrainian drones overnight in the country’s Krasnodar region, including 26, the Russian defense ministry said on Saturday.
The fragments from one drone caused flames at the Kinev oil refinery in the Leningrad region of northern Russia, local governor Alexander Drozdenko said in a statement. No victims have been reported.
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The story was edited to clarify details of Zelensky’s scheduled meeting with Saudi Arabia, where Fang is the prime minister rather than the president of Poland.
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Follow the AP’s report on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
