At least three people were killed during a large attack of Russian drones in the Ukrainian capital during the night, they said local officials on Sunday, hours before the interviews mediated by the United States to discuss a partial fire would have started in Saudi Arabia.
Multiple explosions shaken the capital, Kiev, during the night while the air defense units shot the arrival drones. The Ukrainian aeronautics said that Russia had launched almost 150 drones across the country and that it had knocked about 100. The statement could not be verified independently.
On Sunday morning, Kiev’s local authorities said that some drones and debris from others who were shot down had fallen on several buildings in the city, triggering fires. Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, said three people were killed: a 5 -year -old father and daughter, as well as a 80 -year -old woman. At least 10 people were injured.
The toll was unusually tall for Kiev, which is one of the most defense cities of Ukraine. In recent months, Russia has intensified attacks on the capital, with the aim of overwhelming its aerial defenses with waves of drones. Once a rarity, the buzz of attack drones that flies on buildings can now be listened to frequently in the city center, home of the presidential palace and parliament.
The attack during the night in Kiev came one day after the officials said that a mother, father and 17 -year -old daughter had been killed in an attack on Russian drones in Zaporizhzia, in southern Ukraine.
“Russia is not stopping fire, Putin wants to continue killing civilians, he must be stopped,” said Andrii Yermak, head of the staff of the Ukrainian president, on Sunday morning on social media.
The talks in Saudi Arabia will focus on the arrest of the attacks on energy structures, such as electrical power plants and subsits, as well as guaranteeing the safety of the shipment in the Black Sea.
The median US representatives between the two parts, who should not meet directly. The Ukrainian delegation will meet for the first time with the US mediators on Sunday, said a Ukrainian official, followed by the interviews of Russia-USA on Monday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a delicate question, said that the Ukrainian delegation could keep further discussions with the US officials on Monday, depending on the progress.
Unlike the previous discussions of ceased the fire, which involved the best government officials from all sides, this new round will focus on the technical aspects of the implementation of the partial truce and will mainly involve diplomats and consultants. Ukraine’s Volodymy Zelensky president said that her country has prepared a list of infrastructure objects that could be covered by the ceasefire.
The strikes on energy systems were central to the efforts of each part to weaken the other during the war. Russia has hammered the Ukraine electricity network, with the aim of making life unbearable for civilians and hindering the country’s war effort, while Ukraine has affected Russian oil structures to try to suffocate revenues by feeding Moscow military operations.
Both nations are based on the Black Sea for exports of raw materials. In the middle of 2022, they mediated an agreement that allows Ukraine to send the wheat, only for Russia to retire a year later. Since then, fighting for the control of the sea has been persisted. Ukraine managed to drive away Russian warships out of its waters and establish a safe shipping corridor to global markets.