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Russia-Ukraine War: Russian strikes on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson overnight on Wednesday injured five people, damaged homes, and struck a gas pipeline, according to regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The attacks continued into Thursday morning, with a drone strike killing a woman, he added.
“One Russian strike drone was shot down over the Kherson region,” Prokudin stated, noting that the region remains divided by the frontline along the Dnieper River, with significant portions under Russian control.
Power Outages in Zaporizhzhia Region of Ukraine
Ivan Fedorov, governor of the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region, reported that overnight shelling disrupted power supplies in local frontline communities. “More than 3,300 customers were affected,” Fedorov said in a Telegram post, highlighting the ongoing toll on civilian infrastructure.
In the northwestern Kharkiv region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported a “massive” drone attack that injured 11 people and caused significant damage to homes and industrial sites.
A photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service depicted firefighters working to extinguish flames in Kharkiv following the attack. The image underscored the destructive impact of the strikes.
Fires and Destruction in Dnipro City, Ukraine
The central city of Dnipro also faced severe drone attacks, resulting in widespread fires. The local military administration reported, “Enterprises, educational and cultural institutions, and more than a dozen high-rise buildings were damaged.”
Additionally, the strikes damaged over 60 cars, destroyed several others, and hit two trucks.
Ukraine’s air force stated that Russian forces launched one missile and 86 drones overnight. Of these, 42 drones were intercepted, while 26 reportedly crashed without causing damage. The affected regions included Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces shot down a Ukrainian drone over the western Bryansk region.
Ceasefire Efforts and Cross-Border Strikes
Despite ongoing efforts to implement a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire aimed at freezing military activity in the Black Sea and halting attacks on energy infrastructure, cross-border strikes have persisted.
Following discussions in Saudi Arabia this week, the White House confirmed that parties agreed “to develop measures to implement the agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine.”
Russia claimed to have implemented its moratorium on attacks on March 18. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s communications advisor disputed this, stating that Russia has struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure eight times since that date.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy acknowledged that there had been no attacks on energy infrastructure in either country since Tuesday, aligning with the recent agreement in Riyadh.
Concerns Over U.S. Stance on Conflict
The White House has portrayed the partial ceasefire as a diplomatic success, but concerns persist in Kyiv regarding President Donald Trump’s administration’s position on the conflict.
This week, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was criticized for echoing misleading Russian narratives. Witkoff suggested that Russia’s claimed annexation of five Ukrainian territories—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea—had local support.
During a press conference in Paris, Zelenskyy voiced his concerns. “Witkoff often cites the Kremlin narrative,” he said. “I think that this does not get us closer to peace. I think this, sadly, will weaken the pressure of the U.S. on the Russian Federation.”
Zelenskyy added that he had personally addressed these concerns with Trump. “We are trying to share real and truthful information since Witkoff’s declarations disturb us a lot,” he said. “We are fighting Putin and do not want him to receive support.”
