Russia launched a mass attack on southern Ukraine overnight into Saturday, killing at least one civilian and wounding 28 others, including children, in the Zaporizhzhia region, local officials said. The assault came two days after a rare and deadly strike on central Kyiv killed 23 people and damaged European Union diplomatic offices. Zaporizhzhia Gov. Ivan Fedorov said a five-storey residential building was hit in the latest bombardment. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia fired 537 strike drones and decoys, along with 45 missiles. Ukrainian defenses intercepted or neutralized 510 drones and decoys, and 38 missiles. Thursday's strike on Kyiv was one of the largest and deadliest since Moscow's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Children were among the dead, and rescue workers spent hours pulling victims from the rubble. The Kremlin insisted afterward that it remained committed to peace talks despite the scale of the attack. The escalation coincided with Washington's approval of a major new arms deal for Ukraine. Hours after Thursday's attack, the Trump administration authorized an $825 million weapons package that includes extended-range missiles and related equipment to bolster Ukraine's defenses. The surge in violence underscores the fragile state of U.S.-led efforts to end the three-year war, as diplomatic initiatives have so far struggled to halt the conflict or curb Moscow's military campaign. — Agencies
