Following Ukraine’s significant drone strikes on Russian airbases, Vladimir Putin has launched retaliatory strikes across Ukraine, resulting in at least three fatalities in Kramatorsk and further casualties in Kharkiv and Chernihiv. The renewed violence came after failed peace talks in Istanbul, with Russian forces targeting civilian areas and infrastructure, including a warehouse in Odesa. As Russian troops advance in the Sumy region, Ukraine has responded by damaging power plants, causing widespread blackouts in occupied territories and leading to the closure of the Crimean Bridge amid ongoing hostilities.
