Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago2 min read
Russian Strikes Kill At Least 17 In Zaporizhzhia After Trump Diesel Deal
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Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia killed at least 17 people, including three children. Residential buildings were hit by five glide bombs during the attack.
Zaporizhzhia strike after diesel deal
Russian attacks hit residential areas in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, killing at least five people, including two children, and injuring 11 others, according to the State Emergency Service.
Russian aerial bombs struck residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, and Ukrainian officials said the strikes killed at least 17 people, including three children, with at least 18 people wounded.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that "Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia," and he said the attacks show Moscow understands "any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities."
Ukrainian officials and emergency services described the Zaporizhzhia strike as involving five glide bombs, and acting Mayor Regina Kharchenko said, "The ground floor was hit, and the floors above just collapsed."
Competing death tolls and blame
Zelenskyy linked the Zaporizhzhia attack to the diesel announcement, and he wrote, "Russia interprets any easing of pressure as a signal that it can supposedly continue the war." The death toll varied by outlet and method, with ABC News reporting Russian strikes killed at least 17 people in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, while the BBC said the glide bomb attack killed at least 15 people including three children.
Ukrainian officials said search and rescue operations continued, and the BBC reported that more still were missing and believed to be under the rubble after the strike on Saturday morning. Oleksandr Petrenko, 26, told CBS News that "He didn’t care about the situation, the shelling or the destruction of our homes," as he reacted to Trump’s diesel deal amid the attacks.
What comes next for Ukraine
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was coordinating steps to counter the extra revenue Russia would receive, and he said he had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron about shoring up air defenses. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine would receive ammunition in the coming days for the F-16s it uses to intercept Shahed drones, and he warned of an increased risk of further missile strikes in the coming days.
The U.S. official described by Axios said Trump decided to make a diesel fuel deal with Russia after Zelenskyy ignored U.S. requests to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, and the official said, "Zelensky is misreading the room." In parallel, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 160 drones overnight, and it reported that "117 of which were shot down or suppressed," while Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted or destroyed 560 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.