Kursk: Ukraine and Russia launched waves of drone attacks against each other on Saturday, as Moscow reclaimed more territory in the western Kursk region. The escalation comes amid intensifying international efforts to broker a ceasefire in the three-year conflict between the neighboring nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed “serious questions” about a U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan, while former U.S. President Donald Trump described recent discussions between Washington and Moscow as “productive.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer asserted that Putin would “sooner or later” have to engage in “serious discussions” about ending the war. A virtual meeting, hosted by Downing Street, sought commitments from around 25 countries to join a coalition that would ensure the enforcement of any potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
Intensified Drone Strikes and Battlefield Developments
Ukraine reported that its air defenses had shot down 130 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia, while Moscow claimed to have intercepted 126 Ukrainian drones over its southern and border regions.
Russian forces have continued their push to reclaim land in Kursk, focusing on areas previously captured by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces had taken control of the villages of Zaoleshenka and Rubanshchina, located north and west of the town of Sudzha, which Moscow had recaptured earlier in the week.
Putin on Friday called on Ukrainian forces in Kursk to surrender, while Trump urged the Kremlin to guarantee their safety.
“If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment,” Putin stated.
The Russian Defense Ministry added that military engineers were actively clearing areas that had been under Ukrainian control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the deteriorating situation in Kursk, describing it as “obviously very difficult.” On Saturday, Ukraine’s military released a map showing that its forces had pulled back westward toward the border.
Ukrainian Drone Strike Ignites Fire at Russian Oil Depot
In a separate development, Russian authorities reported that a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the southern Krasnodar region. The governor of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratyev, stated that a fuel storage facility in the Black Sea city of Tuapse was hit by what he called an “attack by the Kyiv regime.”
The regional government confirmed that 188 firefighters had been deployed to contain the blaze.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported an increase in casualties from a Russian missile strike on President Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih.
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Sergiy Lysak, governor of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, said the number of wounded had risen to 14, including two children.
“Fourteen people were wounded, among them two children,” Lysak stated on Telegram. Ukrainian prosecutors identified the injured children as a two-year-old and a 15-year-old.
Authorities said the missile strike destroyed over a dozen large apartment buildings and ten private homes in the city, which has been a frequent target of Russian attacks throughout the conflict.
