Russia’s latest strikes in Ukraine kills 3 Kiev

A Russian drone slammed into a tower block in eastern Ukraine early Saturday while many were sleeping, killing three and injuring 12 people, Ukrainian authorities reported. The attack in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, was part of a large Russian missile and drone barrage across the country that targeted power infrastructure and also killed a worker at an energy company in Kharkiv, farther north, a local official said. In eastern Ukraine, 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. A fire broke out and several apartments were destroyed in the nine-story building in Dnipro, the emergency services said. Rescuers recovered the bodies of three people and two children were among the injured. Russia fired a total of 458 drones and 45 missiles, including 32 ballistic missiles. Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralised 406 drones and nine missiles, the air force said, adding that 25 locations were struck. Authorities switched off power in several regions due to the attacks, Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said in a post on Facebook. Almost four years after its all-out invasion, Russia has been pummeling Ukraine with near-daily drone and missile strikes, killing and injuring civilians. The Kremlin claims its only targets are linked to Kyiv’s war effort. Russia’s Defence Ministry asserted Saturday that the nighttime strikes hit military and energy sites supplying Ukrainian forces. Moscow and Kyiv have traded almost daily assaults on each other’s energy targets as US-led diplomatic efforts to stop the nearly four-year war had no impact on the battlefield. Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue the war. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv official