Russia launches drones, missiles at Ukraine, kills one in Kyiv
Explosions lit up the night sky as the high-pitched whine of drone engines echoed off the walls of the capital's high-rise buildings.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said rescuers and medics were working on sites across four districts of the capital. A subway station in central Kyiv, commercial property, shops, houses and a kindergarten were damaged, city officials said.
Ukraine's air force said that Russia launched 426 drones and 24 missiles overnight across the country, but that only 23 drones hit their targets.
In another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents, many rushed to take shelter in underground stations. Explosions were heard across the city as air defence units engaged in repelling the attack.
At the scene of a strike, dazed residents stood amid shattered glass and scorched walls, surveying the damage after a drone hit the lower floors of an apartment building.
In the region of Ivano-Frankivsk, several hundred kilometres west of Kyiv, four people including a child were injured in the overnight attack, according to the state emergencies service.
The mayor of that region's eponymous capital said the attack was the largest on his city since the start of the war in 2022.
Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, said Russia had hit it with 12 strikes overnight. He said a civilian industrial facility had caught fire and windows had been blown out in an apartment building.
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BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Russia and Ukraine trade drone attacks after latest ceasefire talks
Drone strikes by both Moscow and Kyiv killed two in Russia and three in Ukraine, hours after a brief third round of ceasefire talks concluded in people were found dead in the rubble of a house after a strike in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region and several people were wounded in the cities of Cherkasy and Zaporizhzhia. The famous Pryvoz market - a Unesco world heritage site in the Black Sea port city of Odesa - was also hit and several fires broke out across the city following an overnight attack, authorities Russian authorities said two people were killed and 11 injured in an overnight Ukrainian drone strike on Sochi, in Russia's Krasnodar region. Another Russian attack on the Ukrainian city Kharkiv on Thursday morning also left 33 and Russian delegations met on Wednesday evening in Istanbul in the third round of ceasefire side appeared to harbour much hope for progress before start of the talks, which according to the head of the Ukrainian delegation lasted barely an head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said both countries agreed to swap 1,200 prisoners of war and that Russia had offered to transfer 3,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers back to no tangible steps were taken to end the conflict, now well into its fourth year, and both sides accused the other of rejecting their ideas."We did not expect a breakthrough. A breakthrough is hardly possible," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on of the meeting the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, said the "priority" for Kyiv was to organise a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the end of August. But Peskov poured cold water on the idea, saying it was "premature" for the two presidents to meet. "They [Ukraine] are trying to put the cart slightly ahead of the horse," he said, adding much more work had to be done before any such meeting could take MP Oleksiy Hocharenko said on Facebook that a separate meeting between Umerov and Medinsky had taken place behind closed doors on the sidelines of the main said Umerov and Medinsky have a "good relationship".The first two rounds of ceasefire talks were held in May and June at the request of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants to see the end of the "horrible, bloody war" that was sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in this month Trump set a deadline of 50 days for Russia and Ukraine to end the war, threatening "severe tariffs" on Moscow if a deal is not has long refused to budge on its preconditions for peace - namely the removal of the "root causes" of the war, which include Ukraine becoming a neutral state, dramatically reducing its military and abandoning its Nato of these are acceptable to Kyiv, or to its Western allies."We will do everything to make diplomacy work," Zelensky said on social media on Thursday after the talks. "But it is Russia that must end this war that it started itself."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Ukrainian model reveals chilling final words she heard before being 'beaten into coma' after Dubai party
A Ukrainian OnlyFans model who was found beaten almost to death by the side of the road in Dubai has revealed the chilling final words she heard from her alleged attackers. Maria Kovalchuk was found with horrific injuries, including severe head trauma and a broken spine and limbs, when she was discovered on a roadside in the Emirati city. She spent weeks in the hospital in a coma before beginning the long road to recovery. Earlier this week, the 20-year-old, who is now undergoing rehabilitation in Norway, broke her silence in a bombshell interview with Russian presenter and media personality Ksenia Sobchak. She revealed that she was spending time with a group of acquaintances in a Dubai hotel room when two men who had invited her there became violent. Moments before she fled the room in what would prove a futile escape attempt, the pair, who had allegedly been drinking heavily, smashing bottles and acting aggressively, made a horrifying statement, according to Maria. 'You belong to us. We'll do whatever we want.' Maria was chased out of the hotel and ultimately found in her hiding spot in a nearby building that was under construction. She does not remember the attack, but suspects she was brutally beaten or dropped from a height, given the nature of her injuries. Speaking to Sobchak from her wheelchair, Maria explained how her horrific story began when she missed a flight from Dubai to Thailand after she overslept. While checking out of her hotel, she bumped into a Russian man she had met at a karaoke bar once before. After telling him about her situation, he invited her to stay in his room and told her they could fly to Thailand together in his private jet. The man was accompanied by three friends - another man and two women. 'We went up to the room. The guys were half-sober, they had just come from a party. And overall, everything went well throughout the day. We talked, discussed our trip to Thailand. 'I even called my mum, said that everything was fine, the guys were normal. I called in their presence, to be on the safe side. But things took dark turn the next day, when the men started to behave aggressively towards her, she says. 'They were drinking very strong alcohol, like whiskey. They started to tease me, like, why don't I drink. 'Then there were some aggressive pushes... ''You belong to us. We'll do whatever we want''.' 'I tried to take it as a joke, because it was really weird. 'They started behaving inappropriately, smashing bottles on the floor. Maria explained that the horrific ordeal unfolded when she missed a flight from Dubai for Thailand after she overslept She said that she bumped into a Russian man she had met at a karaoke bar once before and joined him and his friends before things took a dark turn 'After that, they took my personal belongings, which included my passport.' Maria added that the men had 'hinted' that they wanted to have sex with her, which she did not reciprocate. As things escalated, Maria tried to escape but said the men ultimately dragged her back into the room. When they stepped out onto the balcony, she managed to flee and hid at a nearby construction site. The men then found her and 'beat her', she said. 'I ran away. Then, already on the street, when I was, I didn't see them anymore, but I knew they were coming,' said Maria. 'I ran to the nearest building, just scared, and ran in, hid there. It was just an unfinished building.' Maria said she doesn't remember the violence itself that led to her injuries, and CCTV footage has since been erased, she said. 'Three months have passed - the police waited until the cameras were automatically wiped [after this period]. So now there's no evidence,' said Maria. 'Most likely, there was a blow to the head, I suppose. The next scene [that] I remember is me asking for help from a passing car, which had already stopped and called an ambulance and the police. She had fled wearing only a hotel robe. 'I think that maybe I was thrown. Or it was a beating. One of two options, the injuries looked like either a beating or a fall.' The men accused by Maria were both briefly detained by police in Dubai- but only for one day. There appear to be no charges against them. Maria told her friends she had been invited to a party at a hotel on March 9, and promptly dropped out of contact with them. Ten days later, it emerged she had been discovered a week prior, battered, bloodied and dumped at a roadside in Dubai with her limbs and spine broken. Maria was rushed to hospital and underwent three surgeries to save her life, before later receiving a fourth procedure. The model is now confined to a wheelchair but is slowly learning to walk again.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Mother permanently scarred friend in vicious attack just hours after her own son was charged with attempted murder of ex-Manchester City footballer
A mother permanently scarred her childhood friend in a vicious attack during a row over her son's attempted murder of an ex-Manchester City footballer. Diane Moran, 45, had been confiding in Donna Godsell, 46, before turning on her at a mutual friend's flat on July 26, 2023 - leaving Ms Godsell with horrific injuries. The pair were discussing the attempted murder charge faced at the time by Moran's son Michael Canning, who had appeared in court just hours earlier. Canning had savagely attacked Patrick Kuback, then 22, a month earlier, stabbing the the former footballer, who was a complete stranger to him, 32 times and leaving him critically injured. Kuback was left needing nine hours of surgery to save his life after his lungs, liver and other organs were damaged in the murderous assault. Canning was later jailed for 20 years over the attempted murder. Just a month after his first court appearance, police were called on his mother after she attacked Ms Godsell, screaming: 'You f*****g stupid bitch. I'm going to kill you.' Moran, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, smashed a glass tumbler into the right cheek of her friend after Ms Godsell made a comment about his criminal charges. The victim suffered horrific injuries after the glass penetrated through her skin into her mouth. In the aftermath she was left with missing teeth, partial facial paralysis that means she can no longer smile fully, and a permanent scar on her cheek. In a statement, mother of two Ms Godsell who lives in Salford, revealed she had since been diagnosed with PTSD and is unable to leave her home on shopping trips without a carer. She said: 'I now struggle to look in the mirror without crying. Every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of the savage attack that Diane rained upon me. 'This scar will be here for the rest of my life. I can't hide it. It's not like a scar on the arm or the leg that can be hidden by clothing. It is front and centre across my cheek. When I meet a new person for the first time, the first thing they will see is this scar. 'They will wonder how it got there. They will likely judge me within the first few seconds of meeting me thanks to this everlasting scar on my face. 'I no longer want to leave the house. When I do go out I am always extremely paranoid of how I look. I feel people looking at my face, and it makes me want to crawl in a hole and hide away so nobody can see this horrid scar. 'It is the first thing that people see, and always will be. I am so upset and hurt, as I considered Diane a friend. 'The scar will serve as a daily reminder of the horror I endured at her hands of a friend. I may never be able to smile properly, and may never regain full feeling in my face. 'I am now worried that I will never be able trust anyone again, because if a friend can do this to me, how could I trust another person.' She added: 'I want Diane to understand that this one quick action she did in the heat of the moment will now stay with me forever, and I will never be able to look in the mirror again without thinking of that night, knowing that someone I considered a close friend was able to disfigure me in just seconds, all due to a single comment that I made. 'Whenever I smile only half of my mouth moves correctly whilst the other half remains motionless. I cannot sleep at night as the attack is always on my mind. I feel trapped in an endless bubble of fear.' At Manchester Crown Court, Moran admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to two years in jail suspended for two years. She was also ordered to abide by a 8pm to 6am curfew for three months, made the subject of an alcohol abstinence programme and was banned from contacting Ms Godsell for three years under the terms of a restraining order. Canning, 24, is currently at a top security mental hospital after being jailed for life with a minimum recommendation he serve 20 years. The court heard the attack on Ms Godsell occurred at 6pm on July 26, 2023 after Canning had appeared before JPs charged with the attempted murder of Mr Kubacak who was knifed to the head, face, scalp, neck, back, chest, torso and buttocks after passing him by pure chance in an alleyway. Moran, who rarely drank, was visiting a friend in Salford when she began drinking heavily. Gavin Howie, prosecuting, said: 'Ms Godsell made a comment about the incident involving Michael Canning at which point the defendant became angry, stood up and started screaming at her. 'She pushed the complainant and they had "a bit of a scuffle" in which she punched the complainant to the head which left her dazed. The defendant then picked up hexagonal tumbler style glass with a thick rim from the floor next to the couch. At the time she had hold of the complainant's hair and pulled her head down towards the floor. 'The defendant then smashed the glass against the complainant's right cheek using her left hand. The glass shattered on the complainant's cheek, making her feel dizzy and sick and her right cheek started pouring with blood. 'The defendant was angry, and her body was "tensed up" and another woman in the room screamed: "What the f*****g hell have you done." before driving Ms Godsell to hospital.' The victim underwent six hours of surgery during which time glass was removed from her face. The 3cm laceration to the right cheek was so deep it severed the salivary duct and the nerve to the facial muscles that lift the corner of the right lip. Ms Godsell was told had some permanent paralysis as she had suffered nerve damage and she also lost some teeth, which were knocked out in the attack. When arrested Moran claimed she only hit out with a glass to stop Ms Godsell attacking her. At one point she did have her hands on the victim's neck but did not apply any pressure. Defence counsel Jane Miller said Moran's younger son Jack was severely disabled and relied on his mother for day-to-day care. She added: 'Her other son Michael had been living at the family bungalow for a few days after being discharged from a psychiatric unit despite Diane arguing against this. 'He walked out of the bungalow for a matter of metres to a ginnel where a brutal knife attack was carried out on an unfortunate member of the public. Her house was then turned into a crime scene and her son was charged. 'She went to court to support Michael and later she went to a friend's flat where Donna Godsell was present. Diane doesn't drink but she drank that night when she was a state of crisis. She is extremely remorseful for her actions.' In sentencing Judge Elizabeth Nicholls told Moran: 'I accept you were going through a difficult time and you sought solace with friends. But unfortunately you turned to alcohol to support you through the experience that was happening to you and your family. Things got too much for you and you behaved in a way which out was out of character. 'You got involved in a dispute, picked up a glass and smashed it into Ms Godsell's face. There can be no doubt that the injuries you caused were profound and devastating. She now struggles to look in the mirror without crying. 'The scar will be with her for the rest of her life and she cannot hide it.. When she smiles only half her mouth moves correctly and she now wears false teeth - all a consequence of your behaviour.' The judge said she could suspended the sentence partly due to a two year delay in the case coming to court. She concluded: 'You are the primary carer for your severely disabled son and a custodial sentence would have a profound and disproportionate effect on your son. I don't think we will see you before the court again.'
