Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday, a day after Kyiv’s forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia, officials said.
The relentless daily attacks underscore the lack of significant progress in diplomatic efforts to end the fighting more than four years after Russia invaded its neighbor.
There is no sign the war is abating as world leaders gather this week at the U.N. General Assembly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the annual event in New York. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not due to attend.
Trump on Monday called the war “ridiculous” and said Moscow had “unfortunately lost control” of its diesel oil production as Ukraine targets Russian refineries with long-range drones.
“A large number of (Russian) diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” he said in a social media post.
Earlier this month, Trump urged Zelenskyy to halt the refinery strikes, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage and price spikes.
European leaders, fearing Moscow has malicious intentions on their continent, are keen to put further pressure on Putin to withdraw from Ukraine, but the Russian leader has given no indication he is ready to give up his goals.
Russia hits apartment blocks and a shopping mall, officials say
The Russian bombardment of Zaporizhzhia late Sunday hit apartment blocks, a university and a shopping mall, among other sites, and wounded five people, Zelenskyy said on social media Monday.
Russia also struck nine other regions of Ukraine, he said.A Russian drone struck a home in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Monday, killing a 45-year-old woman and seriously injuring her 13-year-old son, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Source: AP
