Kiev was hit by Russian strikes

By Ulf Mauder and Gaby Mahlberg

Kiev (dpa) — At least one person was killed and more than two dozen others injured in heavy Russian air strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Saturday.

Posting on Telegram, Klitschko said the overnight attacks involved drones and missiles and left around 30 people injured, with fires breaking out in two high-rise residential buildings as well as other structures. The number of injured continued to rise throughout day.

Thousands of households in the capital were left without heating, and power outages were also reported, he said. In the surrounding Kiev region, authorities said a 47-year-old woman was killed in the attacks.

Air raid sirens sounded throughout the country during the strikes, which also affected the Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Zhytomyr regions, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Ukrainian media reported that hypersonic Kinzhal missiles were among the weapons used, with energy infrastructure reportedly targeted.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

With the latest attacks, Russia is exerting military pressure ahead of talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump scheduled for Sunday in Florida.

In turn, Zelensky is likely to once again make Kiev’s red lines clear in the negotiations with Trump. The Ukrainian leader rejects any surrender with a dictated peace on Moscow’s terms.

On Saturday, Zelensky said the latest attack, involving about 500 drones and 40 missiles, reflected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response to ongoing peace negotiations. “They have no interest in ending the war,” Zelensky said.

Pro-Ukrainian Russian commander killed

Among the latest military casualties, Denis Kapustin, commander of the Russian volunteer corps RDK fighting against Moscow’s troops, died in a drone attack in the Kiev-controlled part of the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhya.

This was announced on Telegram by the RDK, which vowed to retaliate for the death of “Whitrex,” the call sign under which Kapustin led his force. Russia has designated the RDK as a terrorist organization.

Kapustin, who was regarded in European circles as a right-wing extremist known for his misanthropic statements on the “superiority of the white race,” was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in Russia.

As well as fighting to defend Ukrainian soil, the RDK in the past also advanced into Russian territory with troops and heavy equipment and temporarily took control of towns there.