Russian drone strike on Dnipro tower block kills woman, injures 11

A Russian drone strike on a residential tower in Dnipro killed one woman and injured 11 people, including two children. The attack came as heavy fighting continued in Pokrovsk, with Russia and Ukraine seeking to prove battlefield gains

Kyiv: A Russian drone slammed into a tower block in eastern Ukraine early on Saturday while many were in bed sleeping, killing a woman and leaving 11 people injured, Ukrainian emergency services reported.

The attack in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, came as further to the east, fighting for the strategic city of Pokrovsk has reached a key stage, with both Kyiv and Moscow vying to persuade US President Donald Trump that they can win on the battlefield.

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A fire broke out and several apartments were destroyed within the nine-story building in Dnipro, the emergency services said. Rescuers found the body of a woman on the fifth floor, they added, and two children were among the injured.

Almost four years after its all-out invasion, Russia has been pummelling Ukraine with near-daily drone and missile strikes, with many civilians killed and injured.

Several regions have also faced rolling power cuts as Moscow bashes Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter, according to the national energy operator. The Kremlin claims its only targets are linked to Kyiv’s war effort.

Pokrovsk sits along the eastern front line, part of what has been dubbed the “fortress belt” of Donetsk, a line of heavily fortified cities crucial to Ukraine’s defense of the region. It could also be a key point in influencing Washington’s stance and sway the course of peace negotiations, analysts say.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims his forces are on the cusp of winning. As a prerequisite for peace, he demands that Ukraine cede the Donbas, made up of Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk, one of his key war aims.