"It is the coldest time of the year, the suffering is unimaginable." With these words, Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, has emphasized the need to seek an end to the war in Ukraine. The conflict, now entering its fourth year since Putin ordered the invasion of the neighboring country, will be a significant topic at the Security Conference starting this Friday in Munich.
But this annual meeting does not halt the attacks. In the past hours, several people have been injured by Ukrainian drone attacks in the Russian region of Volgograd. Additionally, one person has died and six have been injured by a Russian bombing on a port in the Ukrainian region of Odesa.
Ukrainian energy company DTEK claims to have suffered "extraordinarily severe damage" in the Russian attack on Odesa
The private Ukrainian electricity sector company DTEK reported on Friday a Russian attack on one of its infrastructures in the southern region of Odesa, causing "extraordinarily severe damage."
"Repairs will require a long time for the equipment to function again," reads the DTEK statement. Another electric substation of the company in Odesa was also hit by a Russian attack early Thursday morning.
Russia practically attacks Ukrainian energy infrastructure every night. Since the beginning of the year, it has left millions of Ukrainians without electricity, water, and heating for days under extreme temperatures, leading Ukraine to extend scheduled power outages due to the increasingly acute generation deficit.
Russian attacks target energy, port, and railway infrastructures
A new Russian nighttime drone attack killed one person in a port in the Odesa region and targeted energy infrastructure in the neighboring Mikolayiv region, as reported by Ukrainian authorities. Six other people were injured in the Odesa region, according to Ukrainian Development Minister, Oleksiy Kuleba. One of the injured is in critical condition.
Several cargo wagons were hit in the affected port in this southern region of Ukraine, as stated by Kuleba, who also reported damage to railway infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in the country's central-eastern area.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used a total of 154 long-distance drones in the attack against Ukraine, with 111 being neutralized by Ukrainian air defenses. Another 22 drones hit 18 different unspecified locations, as reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Russia shoots down 124 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones in the past hours
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 124 Ukrainian drones overnight, as reported today by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Russian military command published a report on the downing of 66 Ukrainian drones the previous day, most of which targeted the Rostov (43) and Kursk (20) regions. Three other drones were destroyed over Belgorod and Volgograd.
Today, Defense reports the downing of another 58 drones, 43 of them over the Volgograd region, twelve in Rostov, and three in Kursk and the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The attack on Volgograd resulted in three injuries - a 12-year-old child, an 18-year-old, and a woman - and damaged several residential buildings and vehicles, as reported on Telegram by local governor Andrei Bocharov. The three injured individuals were hospitalized.
One dead and six injured in a Russian airstrike on a port in the Ukrainian region of Odesa
A Russian drone attack has caused one death and six injuries in one of the ports in the Ukrainian region of Odesa, on the shores of the Black Sea, as reported by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Oleksiy Kuleba. "Russia launched massive attacks on port and railway infrastructures," he wrote on Telegram.
Company infrastructures, fertilizer warehouses, and vehicles, including cargo wagons, were damaged, according to Kuleba, who added that the attack triggered a fire. Kuleba did not identify the port. The facilities of the three Black Sea ports around the city of Odesa have been a frequent target of attacks, and the region also hosts ports on the Danube River.
Multiple injuries in a Ukrainian attack on Volgograd
Ukrainian drones have struck homes and industrial facilities in the southern Russian region of Volgograd, causing multiple injuries, as reported on Friday by the regional governor. Ukraine and Russia have intensified drone and missile attacks after US-mediated peace talks failed to yield tangible results.
Volgograd regional governor Andrei Bocharov stated on the Telegram messaging app that several private homes and vehicles were damaged in Volgograd and adjacent districts, with three people urgently taken to the hospital. He added that the drones hit some industrial companies in the city and region, without providing further details.
Rubio expects to meet with Zelenski in Munich and advocates for "ending the war" in Ukraine
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated on Thursday that he expects to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski during the Munich Security Conference, emphasizing the need to end the war in Ukraine. "I believe he will be there, and there is an opportunity to see him. I think it's on my agenda, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm confident we will," he said before heading to Munich.
Zelenski has indicated that he will attend the high-level meeting if the security situation in his country allows. When asked about Russian bombings, Rubio described them as "terrible" and supported diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. "It's a war. That's why we want it to end. People are suffering. It's the coldest time of the year. The suffering is unimaginable," Rubio affirmed. He is scheduled to deliver a speech on Saturday, believing his message will be "well received" and stating that the conference is held at a "decisive moment" for the international order.
Zelenski asserts backing US peace proposals to reach an agreement
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski has stated that Kiev has tried to support US peace proposals to end the war with Russia, as President Donald Trump seeks to resolve the conflict before the November legislative elections.
Zelenski, in an interview published on Thursday by The Atlantic, mentioned that Kiev was willing to hold both presidential elections and a referendum on an agreement but would not accept a deal detrimental to Ukraine's interests. "The tactic we chose is for Americans not to think we want to continue the war," Zelenski told the American outlet. "That's why we started supporting their proposals in any format that accelerates the process." He added that Ukraine "is not afraid of anything."
"Are we ready for elections? We are ready. Are we ready for a referendum? We are ready," he assured.