A Russian drone strike overnight in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region resulted in three fatalities and three injuries, regional emergency services and Governor Ivan Fedorov reported on Thursday.
Emergency services identified the victims as two women, aged 26 and 50, and a 62-year-old man. Authorities said one private building was destroyed and several additional structures sustained damage. Photographs posted on the Telegram messaging app by emergency personnel showed firefighters confronting a large blaze and a flattened building at the scene.
Governor Ivan Fedorov said that, across the past 24 hours, Russian forces had launched 841 strikes targeting 34 settlements in the region. He noted that Russian troops occupy large swathes of territory in Zaporizhzhia and have been making recent gains there. The governor also referenced the broader political situation by noting Zaporizhzhia is one of four Ukrainian regions Russia claims to have annexed since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia had launched 105 drones overnight, and that Ukrainian defences had downed 84 of them. The country’s military officials said the strikes have continued even as diplomatic efforts move forward: Ukraine and Russia held U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi last week, with additional meetings expected on Sunday. Despite the negotiations, attacks on Ukrainian cities have persisted and both sides have struck each other’s energy infrastructure, according to official statements.
Separately, Moscow-launched drones struck again in the south, hitting the port city of Odesa and causing a substantial fire at an industrial facility, Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. Kiper reported damage to warehouses, production buildings and trucks, and added that no casualties were recorded in that incident.
Kiper also said the death toll from an overnight attack on Tuesday in Odesa rose to four after an elderly man succumbed to injuries in hospital. Russian officials had not issued comments on the attacks, the regional governors’ statements noted. Both Moscow and Kyiv deny deliberately targeting civilians in the nearly four-year conflict.
The series of overnight strikes across Zaporizhzhia and Odesa underscores continued hostilities despite diplomatic engagement, with significant damage reported to residential and industrial sites and ongoing pressure on energy and logistical infrastructure.