Putin and Zelenskyy issue threats as strikes rock Ukraine, Russia

What the report says

Russian and Ukrainian strikes intensified across both countries as President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traded threats over the war, according to Al Jazeera. Ukraine reported Russian drone and missile attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday in Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro, with at least one person killed and more than a dozen wounded overall. In Odesa, officials said a residential tower, office buildings and schools were damaged, while parts of the city lost power and public transport was disrupted. Kyiv also came under attack for a seventh straight day, with reports of fires and damage to a warehouse and other facilities.

Al Jazeera said Russia launched 174 attack drones overnight, including jet-powered drones, along with several missiles. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 130 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions, Crimea and the Black Sea. In Belgorod, a border region in Russia, local officials said Ukrainian strikes killed two people and injured 16 others.

The leaders’ remarks added to the escalation. Zelenskyy warned foreign airlines that Russian airspace is unsafe because of Ukrainian long-range drone attacks, while Putin accused him of “state terrorism” and said Moscow does not negotiate with what it calls terrorists. The comments came as European governments consider recent sabotage allegations and as US-backed peace efforts remain stalled. The fighting underscores how the air war is increasingly shaping the conflict even as the front lines stay largely frozen.