Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia kills 7

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Rescuers search for survivors after Russian strikes hit multiple locations in Zaporizhzhia

A Russian attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed seven people, including three children, early Saturday, according to regional officials. Ten others were wounded as emergency crews continued searching the rubble for people who may still be trapped.

The attack came amid intensified overnight strikes between Russia and Ukraine, while US, Ukrainian and European negotiators held talks in Miami aimed at developing a unified proposal to end the war.

Regional military administration head Mykhailo Semikin said the Russian attack struck several locations across Zaporizhzhia simultaneously during the early hours of Saturday.

Seven people, including three children, were killed, while 10 others sustained injuries, Semikin said in a statement posted on Telegram. Search-and-rescue operations remained underway, with authorities warning that additional people could still be trapped beneath the rubble.

The attack was among a series of overnight strikes reported by both sides, highlighting the continuing toll of the conflict on civilians and residential areas.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 160 drones during the overnight attacks. Ukrainian forces shot down or suppressed 117 of them, according to a statement posted on Telegram.

The latest figures underscore the scale of Russia’s continued aerial campaign as Ukrainian authorities respond to attacks across the country.

In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack injured six people in the southern Rostov region, regional Governor Yury Slyusar said.

Several apartment buildings and private houses in Rostov-on-Don were damaged. An unoccupied new building in Bataysk and two vessels in the city of Azov were also hit, according to the governor.

No casualties were initially reported aboard the two vessels.

Russia’s Defence Ministry separately said its air defence systems intercepted or destroyed 560 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The ministry also said Russian forces struck Ukrainian port infrastructure and vessels allegedly being used in the interests of Ukraine’s military. Among the reported targets was a cargo ship carrying military-related supplies to the port of Odesa.

Independent verification of the claims made by either side remains difficult because of the ongoing war.

The latest attacks came hours after negotiators from the United States, Ukraine and Europe completed six hours of discussions in Miami, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The discussions included US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, alongside Ukrainian delegates and representatives from European countries and NATO.

The stated goal was to reach agreement in the coming weeks on a unified proposal that could be presented to Russia, with the aim of securing a breakthrough before winter.

The talks are part of diplomatic efforts to find a path towards ending the war, even as fighting and cross-border attacks continue.

Also on Friday, US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian fuel and said Moscow had agreed to supply diesel to global markets in an effort to bring down fuel prices.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the arrangement, arguing that the revenue generated from Russian diesel sales would help finance Moscow’s war effort.

“All that money” from the diesel, Zelensky said, would go towards the war “against people, against Ukraine, against all of us.”

He also questioned the position of Ukraine’s negotiators in the diplomatic process, saying he believed Kyiv’s representatives were “simply being used as a smokescreen.” He added that this was “certainly not fair.”

Zelensky’s remarks highlighted tensions surrounding the negotiations and the broader question of how economic measures involving Russia could affect Ukraine’s position.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that an immediate resumption of peace talks was unlikely following a phone call with Trump. He cited Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow as a reason for the lack of immediate prospects for renewed negotiations.

The comments came as diplomatic efforts continued in Miami, with negotiators seeking to develop a proposal that could be presented to Russia in the coming weeks.

With rescue operations still underway in Zaporizhzhia and both countries reporting overnight attacks, the latest developments underline the challenges facing efforts to secure a ceasefire and a lasting settlement.

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