Russian glide bombs and aerial bombs hit residential buildings and flats in the Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, marking the third mass-casualty strike in Ukraine this week. Official reports on the casualties vary, with death tolls cited between seven and 20 people, including three children, and at least 10 others wounded.
The strikes occurred a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal to lift sanctions and buy large quantities of Russian diesel. Trump stated the agreement was necessary to reduce diesel prices ahead of the November midterm elections, where the cost of fuel is a key voter issue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed repeated outrage at the agreement, warning that the money from fuel sales would help bankroll Moscow’s war and intensify the conflict. Zelenskyy accused Washington of helping fund the war and claimed that Russia was expressing its thanks for the deal through the deadly attacks on civilians in Zaporizhzhia.