Russia claimed to have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine as the warring neighbours exchanged drone strikes. Kyiv urged western states to give it more long-range missiles and a freer hand to strike military targets on Russian territory.
Moscow said its troops seized the villages of Andriivka in the Luhansk region and Pishchane in the Kharkiv region, and “took up more favourable lines and positions” in several areas of eastern Ukraine on Sunday. Kyiv did not confirm the claims, but Russian troops have been creeping forward in the area for more than a year, after suffering several heavy defeats early in a full-scale invasion that began in February 2022.
At least five Ukrainian civilians were injured in Russian artillery and drone strikes on Sunday, when Kyiv’s military said it shot down 35 of 39 attack drones and two of five missiles launched by Russia.
The military did not say what was damaged by the drones and ballistic missiles that were not intercepted, but officials in the northern Sumy region said a Russian attack had set alight homes and two “heating facilities” there.
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Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv military administration, said the capital had been spared damage or casualties thanks to the successful work of air defence systems on Sunday, after Russian shelling killed at least eight civilians in eastern Ukraine on Friday and Saturday.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the attacks – and Russia’s use of “more than 100 guided bombs against our cities, villages and frontline positions” every day – highlighted his country’s need for “reliable protection” from more air defence systems and from missiles that could strike military airfields in Russia.
“This is possible if we destroy the carriers of these bombs – Russian military aircraft – wherever they are,” he said. “Our sufficient long-range capabilities should be a fair response to Russian terror.”
The US and most other western states, saying they fear “escalation”, do not let Kyiv use arms they supply to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory.
Russia said its forces shot down at least eight drones on Sunday, amid a campaign by Ukraine to use domestically made drones to strike Russian oil refineries, fuel depots and other energy infrastructure, as well as airfields and air defence systems in advance of the expected delivery of US-made F16s to Kyiv’s air force in the coming months.
A fierce heatwave has exacerbated energy shortages and triggered rolling blackouts in Ukraine and parts of Russia; people took to the streets in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia on Saturday to demand an end to power cuts, in a rare public show of dissatisfaction towards the country’s authorities.
Mr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he had spoken to US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, amid concerns that he could slash or even end US support for Kyiv if he returned to the White House in November’s election.
After the call, Mr Trump said he would “bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families… Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity.”
Mr Zelenskiy said he condemned the “shocking” assassination attempt on Mr Trump and “wished him strength and absolute safety in the future”.
“I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence. Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror,” he added.
“We agreed with president Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.”
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