A Russian drone attack on Odesa killed three people and injured more than 20, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged faster US action to help end the war.
A large-scale
Russian drone attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Tuesday killed at least three people and injured 23, including two children and a pregnant woman, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged quicker US efforts to end the nearly four-year war.
Ukrainian authorities said the assault involved more than 50 drones, including models recently upgraded by Russia to extend their range and strike capability.
The attack targeted the power grid, which
Russia has repeatedly struck during one of the coldest winters in years, and also damaged five apartment blocks. Emergency services recovered the bodies of two men aged 90 and 52 and a woman from the rubble, officials said.
“The rescue operation will continue until the fate of all people who may be under the rubble is clarified,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram, noting that an informal Protestant place of worship was also damaged.
“Each such Russian strike undermines diplomacy, which is still ongoing, and hits, in particular, the efforts of partners who are helping to end this war,” he said.
Train strike reported in Kharkiv region
Later on Tuesday, three drones struck a passenger train carrying over 200 people in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov, who described the incident as “terrorism.” Four people were killed, and another four were reported missing.
Officials said a diplomatic push by the Trump administration to end the war has seen progress but no breakthrough on the key question of Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and other territory claimed by Moscow.
Analysts say President Vladimir Putin is not rushing towards a settlement despite challenges faced by his forces along the roughly 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) front line. They believe he considers time to be in his favour, expecting Western support for Kyiv to weaken and Ukraine’s resistance to come under increasing strain.
To sustain its campaign, Moscow is offering cash bonuses, releasing convicts from prison and recruiting foreigners.
An Associated Press investigation reported that Bangladeshi workers were misled into travelling to Russia with promises of civilian employment before being sent into combat in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said late Monday that the next round of talks with the US and Russia is pencilled in for Feb. 1, adding that “it would be good if this meeting could be accelerated.”
He also called for further sanctions on Russia to push the Kremlin towards compromise.
Wider impact of drone campaign
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 165 drones overnight, with 24 penetrating air defences and striking targets across seven regions.
UNESCO said Tuesday that recent attacks have damaged protected world heritage sites in Odesa, the western city of Lviv and the capital, Kyiv.
The strikes have also disrupted power supplies for hundreds of thousands of civilians. Zelenskyy said more than 900 apartment blocks remained without heating on Tuesday in several districts of Kyiv, a city of about 3 million residents dominated by tower blocks, many dating from the Soviet era.
Russia has been advancing its drone technology and tactics, achieving increasing effectiveness.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry intelligence directorate said Russia had deployed the new jet-powered “Geran-5” strike drone for the first time. The Geran is a Russian version of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone.
The directorate said the drone can carry a 90-kilogram (200-pound) warhead and has a range of nearly 1,000 kilometres (600 miles).
Ukraine has expanded production of interceptor drones and continues developing its own long-range drone capabilities.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 19 Ukrainian drones overnight across several Russian regions.
End of Article
