Five killed and dozens injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine despite Trump summit

At least five people were killed and 11 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine overnight on Saturday, local authorities reported, hours before Volodymyr Zelensky flies to Washington for talks with Donald Trump. The combined drone, missile, and artillery strikes also caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure in several regions.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian forces launched a single Iskander-M ballistic missile alongside 60 Shahed-type attack drones and drone decoys. Air defences managed to shoot down or suppress around 40 of the drones over the country's north and east, mitigating some of the destruction.

Kherson Oblast bore the brunt of Russian drone and artillery strikes on more than 30 settlements, said Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

Two houses and a civilian vehicle were damaged, and two people were injured in the attacks. The strikes mark the latest escalation in an area which has seen repeated assaults in recent months.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian shelling proved deadly. Five civilians lost their lives - two in Raihorodok, two in Sviatohorivka, and one in Kostiantynivka - while another four were injured across the region, said Governor Vadym Filashkin.

Kharkiv Oblast also experienced a series of strikes, with missiles, guided bombs, and drones targeting multiple communities. Five people were injured, and residential buildings sustained damage in Vilshany, Nova Kozacha, and Prykolotne, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Civilian infrastructure, including houses, garages, and an apartment building, was hit, reflecting the broad scope of the attacks.

Emergency services were deployed immediately after the attacks to provide medical assistance and assess structural damage. Ukrainian authorities confirmed that air defence units intercepted dozens of the drones before they could reach key population centres, but the remaining strikes still caused injuries and property loss.

The attacks coincide with heightened diplomatic activity, as Mr Zelensky gears up for his crunch meeting with the US President, three days after Mr Trump met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Meanwhile Ukraine's General Staff has claimed at least 910 Russian servicemembers were killed between August 4 and 16 as Ukrainian units cleared Hruzke, Rubizhne, Zolotyi Kolodyaz, and three other settlements north of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.