A Russian strike on a commercial area in eastern Ukraine killed at least two people and injured around twenty others on Wednesday, local authorities reported, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Moscow to end the war.
On Monday, President Trump gave Russia 50 days to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine or face severe sanctions. However, Russian attacks have continued since then.
“Once again, the Russians deliberately targeted a highly populated area, a shopping center in the city center. This time, they used a 500 kg air bomb,” said Vadym Filachkine, governor of the Donetsk region, on Telegram.
The strike in the city of Dobropillia left two dead and 22 injured, he added.
“It is likely that people are still trapped under the rubble, and search efforts for survivors are ongoing,” Filachkine said.
The governor shared photos showing a street covered in debris, destroyed buildings, and stores with windows blown out by the explosion.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian attack as "horrible," stating that “these strikes have no military purpose, they are only aimed at causing as many casualties as possible,” in his daily address to the nation.
Dobropillia, located about 20 kilometers from the eastern front where fighting is particularly intense, has been increasingly targeted by Russian drones in recent weeks.
Hundreds of Drones
On Monday, Trump gave Russia a 50-day ultimatum to end the war in Ukraine or face severe sanctions, also announcing a massive rearmament of Kyiv through NATO. However, Trump’s warnings did not stop the strikes.
On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, a Russian drone attack involving hundreds of drones injured at least 15 people across Ukraine, according to authorities.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired nearly 400 explosive drones and numerous decoys overnight, with 198 being shot down and 145 others lost without hitting their targets.
In Nikopol (central Ukraine), Russian artillery strikes on Wednesday morning killed one woman and injured five others, according to emergency services.
Russia has been intensifying massive strikes on Ukraine for weeks, often involving hundreds of drones and missiles, with its defense industry operating at full capacity.
In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person in Voronezh, about 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, according to regional governor Alexander Gusev on Telegram.
Reshuffle in Ukraine
Trump’s announcement marks a reversal, as the U.S. president had been critical of aid to Kyiv and had been moving closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Putin’s refusal to accept a ceasefire has led to growing frustration from Trump, who now expresses being “disappointed” with the Kremlin’s leader.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi also said he had his first phone conversation with NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich.
Following the exchange, Syrskyi praised the "firm commitments of support from the United States and the Alliance."
Ukraine is also undergoing a large-scale government reshuffle, aimed at reinvigorating efforts after more than three and a half years of Russian invasion. The current government’s resignation was confirmed by parliament on Wednesday, and a new government, led by Minister Ioulia Svyrydenko, is expected to be approved soon.
AFP
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