Russian attacks in Ukraine kill a child and wound 24 before planned direct peace talks
Russia is driving hard to break through at eastern and northeastern points on the 1000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. It is also firing upwards of 700 drones a night at Ukrainian cities. From dusk on Monday evening, Russia struck the Ukrainian regions of Sumy in the northeast, Odesa in the south, and eastern Kramatorsk. In Kramatorsk, a glide bomb hit an apartment building, starting a fire, according to the head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Honcharenko. A boy born in 2015 was killed, local officials said without giving his exact age. Five other people were reported wounded.
The Sumy region came under multiple waves of attacks, the regional military administration reported. A drone hit a gas station in the town of Putyvl, wounding four people including a 5-year-old boy, it said. A second drone strike hit the same location less than two hours later, wounding seven more. After dark, two powerful Russian glide bombs were dropped on Sumy city, wounding 13 people including a 6-year-old boy. According to regional authorities, five apartment buildings, two private homes, and a shopping mall were damaged in the attack. Acting Mayor Artem Kobzar said the blasts shattered windows and destroyed balconies in residential buildings.
Also Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 35 Ukrainian long-range drones over several regions overnight, including three over the Moscow region.
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