Ukraine reports seven killed in overnight Russian strikes
Kyiv’s mayor reports 15 wounded as attacks follow renewed US diplomatic efforts.
Russian strikes killed seven people in Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday, as renewed diplomacy involving Washington failed to produce a halt in the fighting.
The reported deaths included one person in Sumy, one in Kharkiv, three in Zaporizhzhia and two in Donetsk. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said another 15 people were wounded in the capital, with eight taken to hospital.
The attacks followed talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Both sides signalled interest in further negotiations, but no ceasefire or broader breakthrough was announced.
Kyiv transport infrastructure damaged
Klitschko said strikes damaged metro infrastructure at the Pivdenny Bridge, restricting movement between parts of the city. The extent of the repairs and a timetable for restoring normal service were not established in the initial account.
Ukraine’s air force issued repeated warnings during the night and urged residents to remain in shelters. It continued to report drones in the air the following morning, leaving the casualty and damage assessments subject to revision.
The continuing alerts underline why early totals can change as rescue teams, hospitals and local authorities report from different areas.
Russia reports injuries from Ukrainian drone attacks
Russian officials separately described Ukrainian drone attacks on several regions. Moscow’s mayor said two people were wounded in the surrounding region, while the Lipetsk governor reported another injury.
The casualty accounts and interception claims came from the authorities on each side. They were not independently verified. Counts of approaching drones, interceptions and impacts also measure different things and should not be treated as interchangeable totals.
Air-defence accounts show the scale of the overnight exchange
Ukraine’s air force said it had shot down 181 Russian unmanned aircraft overnight and continued to track strike drones the following morning. On the Russian side, Moscow’s mayor described a barrage of 630 drones heading towards the wider region, including 163 approaching the capital, while the Tula governor reported 70 destroyed drones. These were official claims, not independently established totals.
The figures refer to different areas and categories. An aircraft approaching a region is not necessarily an impact, and a reported interception does not establish the consequences of every other aircraft in the same attack. Combining the numbers into a single score would obscure both the uncertainty and the civilian effects described by local authorities.
The exchange also unfolded amid controversy over Trump’s decision to delay additional sanctions and strike a diesel agreement with Russia. Supporters of the diplomatic effort point to renewed contacts and Hubbard’s release; critics question concessions while attacks continue. The overnight casualties leave that policy argument unresolved rather than demonstrating that negotiations have either succeeded or definitively failed.
Diplomatic activity without a pause in attacks
Witkoff described his meeting with Putin as constructive. The Kremlin indicated willingness in principle to resume talks with Ukraine and the United States, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky supported negotiations as soon as possible.
Russia also released detained American teacher Stephen Hubbard after the meeting, giving Washington a concrete diplomatic result. That release did not resolve the military or territorial questions at the centre of the war.
The immediate contrast is between positive language around negotiations and continuing casualties on the ground. A confirmed meeting and specific commitments would show more than statements of willingness alone; neither had produced an announced halt to the attacks in the reporting available Thursday morning.
