Putin and Zelensky Trade Threats as Russia-Ukraine Attacks Intensify

Russian drone attacks across Ukraine killed at least one person and wounded more than a dozen others, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin exchanged threats of escalating the conflict.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Ukrainian officials reported strikes on the capital Kyiv, the southern city of Odesa, and the eastern city of Dnipro, where a man's body was found under rubble. The aerial war between Russia and Ukraine has grown more intense as the conflict enters its fifth year since Moscow launched its special military operation. The front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine remain deadlocked, and U.S. efforts to broker a peace deal have yet to bear fruit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traded threats on Tuesday evening over their next steps. Zelensky warned foreign airlines that Russian skies are unsafe for flights due to Ukraine's long-range drone attacks, saying "Russian skies will effectively be closed." He said Ukraine's military pressure aims to force Russia to accept peace negotiations. Meanwhile, Putin accused Zelensky of "state terrorism" and declared: "We do not negotiate with terrorists."

At a late-night press conference on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin also addressed reports that Ukrainian forces have used British-made drones to strike targets inside Russia. When asked whether Russia would attack British military facilities if the British government continued supplying weapons to Ukraine, Putin did not rule it out. With a slight smile, he told reporters that it was a "military secret."

Meanwhile, China and North Korea have provided military support to Russia, as has Iran in previous years. The leaders' remarks came as European officials weigh their response to what they call Moscow's sabotage and disruption campaign across the continent aimed at weakening European support for Ukraine. On Tuesday, Germany also accused Russia of carrying out an attack on Leipzig/Halle airport last month using explosive-laden drones.

Power outages in Odesa

Ukrainian officials said that overnight, Russia launched 174 drones, about half of which were difficult-to-intercept jet drones increasingly deployed by Moscow, along with two ballistic missiles and two air-launched missiles. Odesa regional officials said the attack damaged a 24-story residential building, destroyed apartments on several floors, and wounded 8 people, including a child. Offices and two educational facilities in Odesa were also damaged. The raid also caused power outages that halted public tram service.

A man and a woman were wounded by shrapnel in attacks on the Kyiv region in the morning, according to local officials. This marked the seventh consecutive day of attacks on Kyiv, although the latest raid was not as heavy as previous ones. Officials said the attack caused a fire at a warehouse. Russian forces have targeted civilian infrastructure in what Ukrainian officials describe as an effort to disrupt daily life and sap morale. A fire also broke out at an educational facility and a medical clinic in Kyiv, according to city officials.

In the meantime, Russia's Defense Ministry said air defense systems shot down 130 Ukrainian drones overnight, downed over 11 Russian regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea. Ukrainian drone attacks killed two people in Russia's border region of Belgorod and wounded 16 others, according to acting governor Aleksandr Shuvaev. He said Ukrainian forces attacked the area 140 times in 24 hours. Long-range drones developed by Ukraine have repeatedly targeted Russia's oil sector to weaken the economy, as well as warehouses of online retailers to make the war felt by ordinary Russians.