Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 10 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight, according to Dnipropetrovsk region governor Serhiy Lysak. In a Telegram post on Thursday, Lysak reported that the “massive” drone attack targeted the southeastern city of Dnipro, leaving three people dead, including a child, and injuring 30 others. Among the injured, 16 have been hospitalized.
Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov confirmed damage to several educational institutions, residential buildings, and a food processing factory as a result of the aerial assault.
This comes as Russia intensifies its aerial bombardment campaign, with Wednesday’s drone strike already having killed at least two people and wounded 16, highlighting the continuous threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s forces across Ukraine.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are gaining traction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in his nightly address that negotiators from the US and Ukraine have made “good progress” on a minerals deal aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two nations. “The basic legal stuff is almost finalised,” Zelensky said, adding that the agreement could soon yield tangible economic results for both countries. The deal reportedly excludes past US military aid from being counted as Ukrainian debt, marking a key breakthrough.
On the US front, former President Donald Trump is also pursuing a separate minerals-related deal that would secure American access to Ukrainian natural resources. Trump is positioning it as both compensation for the billions in military aid and a step toward ending the war.
As part of this initiative, Trump has dispatched his peace envoy Steve Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio to Paris for consultations with European leaders regarding Ukraine’s future.
