At least one dead as Russia launches ‘massive’ strikes across Ukraine

A "massive" overnight Russian attack on central and southeastern Ukrainekilled at least one person, authorities said Saturday, with homes and businesses damaged in multiple cities. 

"At night, the enemy carried out massive strikes" on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's state emergency service said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian air force said in a statement it had downed 510 of 537 dronesand 38 of 45 missiles launched by Russia.

It recorded five missile and 24 drone hits at seven locations with debris falling on 21 sites.

At least one person was killed and 26 others wounded, including two children, according to regional military administration chief Ivan Fedorov.

"Russian strikes destroyed private houses, damaged many facilities, including cafes, service stations, and industrial enterprises," Fedorov said.

Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region also came under attack early Saturday, the governor said, reporting strikes in Dnipro and Pavlograd. 

"The region is under a massive attack. Explosions are being heard," Sergiy Lysak wrote on Telegram, warning residents to take cover.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Moscow had used preparation time for a meeting of leaders of both countries to launch new attacks on his country.

"The only way to reopen a window of opportunity for diplomacy is through tough measures against all those bankrolling the Russian army and effective sanctions against Moscow itself – banking and energy sanctions," Zelensky wrote on X.

No date has been set yet for the bilateral meeting.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dnipropetrovsk had been largely spared from intense fighting.

But Kyiv acknowledged on Tuesday that Russian troops had entered the region, after Moscow claimed its troops had gained a foothold there. 

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea – that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory. 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)