Russian forces have carried out a fresh wave of strikes across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, killing at least eight civilians and wounding dozens more, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attacks, which included drone, artillery, and aerial bomb strikes, hit multiple regions from the northeast to the south, underscoring the sustained intensity of Moscow's campaign.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a drone attack on Sunday killed one person and wounded nine others, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed. "All the necessary emergency services have been deployed at the site," he said, adding that residential buildings had been struck. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, has been a frequent target of Russian strikes throughout the war.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, two women aged 35 and 74 were killed on Saturday after Russian forces struck three districts with drones, artillery, and aerial bombs, local authorities reported. The attacks also caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure.
Further south, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person died and 12 were injured following Russian strikes. Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, said on Sunday that Russian forces had launched 1,029 strikes on 50 settlements in the region over the previous day. He also reported another fatality from a separate attack.
In Kherson Oblast, two people were killed and 24 injured over the weekend. Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, wrote on Telegram that Russian forces "struck critical and social infrastructure, as well as residential areas in the region's settlements; in particular, they damaged 18 high-rise blocks and 17 private houses." He added that the occupiers also destroyed a church, a petrol station, shops, gas pipelines, a farm building, private garages, and cars.
In Sumy Oblast, in northern Ukraine, a 53-year-old man was killed and eight people were wounded following Russian attacks. The strikes also hit a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih on Sunday, where a fire broke out at an Epitsentr DIY store, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Kazakh leader calls for end to war
Kazakhstan's President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev on Saturday told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he should end the war in Ukraine, according to reports. "It is a shame, young people are dying... All this has to be stopped," Tokayev said, per AFP. The remarks, made during a public exchange, represent a rare direct appeal from a Central Asian leader to Moscow.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha thanked Toqayev for his "realistic, timely, and wise message" in a statement on X. "Ukraine has proposed stopping the war along current frontlines and turning to diplomacy, but the Kremlin continues to reject this clear path to peace," Sybiha said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov pushed back at Tokayev's comments, telling Interfax earlier on Saturday that it was "impossible" to "freeze" the war at the current time. The exchange highlights growing unease among some of Russia's traditional allies over the prolonged conflict.
North Korean troop deployment warning
In a video address on Saturday evening, Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is pushing for North Korea to send another 30,000 troops to support the Russian war effort in Ukraine. He said Russia has been making preparations to receive them in the Voronezh region since June, and that Pyongyang is also looking to deliver additional launchers for ballistic missiles.
"This is a threat not only to Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them. All of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles."
The warning comes amid escalating Russian incursions near NATO borders, including recent drone activity over Romania. The potential deployment of North Korean troops would mark a significant escalation, drawing in a second foreign power directly into the conflict.
