Deadly Russian drone attack reported on Ukrainian city

Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine, was struck by a large-scale Russian drone attack, resulting in 4 deaths and 19 injuries. Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor, stated that the attack occurred late Friday night, with a catering complex and multiple residential buildings catching fire. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

Lysak stated that "the enemy launched more than 20 drones at the city" and that "most were shot down." Subsequent images and videos showed firefighters battling the blazes engulfing the struck buildings, with shattered glass and other debris scattered across the city streets. The rescue operations are ongoing to assist those affected.

Overnight, air raid alerts also sounded in several other regions of Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv. It is currently unclear if there were any casualties. The Russian military has not yet commented on the incident, but investigations are underway.

In his nightly video address on Friday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy again accused Russia of attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, violating a temporary suspension agreement reached earlier this month in talks that included the United States. Moscow has also repeatedly accused Ukraine of attacking Russia's energy sector, escalating tensions between the two countries.

Russian President Putin stated earlier this week that Ukraine should be temporarily placed under United Nations control to elect what he called a more "capable" government. This is seen as the Kremlin's latest attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the Kyiv government, a move that has been widely condemned by Ukraine's allies. Ukraine has accused Putin of proposing "crazy" ideas to stall progress on a further ceasefire agreement advocated by US President Trump.

Furthermore, French President Macron stated on Thursday that France and the United Kingdom are proposing a plan to deploy "reassurance forces" in Ukraine. The proposal was discussed at a "Coalition of the Willing" summit in Paris, which consisted of Ukrainian allies from more than 30 countries. Russia has repeatedly warned that the deployment of any European troops in Ukraine is unacceptable, and the Kremlin would consider those forces legitimate targets.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory. The conflict continues to have a devastating impact on the region.