In Kherson, a southern Ukrainian city, Russian strikes injured five individuals and caused damage to homes as well as a gas pipeline overnight on Wednesday, according to regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Prokudin further reported that a Russian strikes drone was intercepted and shot down in the Kherson region, an area primarily occupied by Russian forces. The region, which is divided by the Dnieper River, sees a constantly evolving frontline. Tragically, he noted that on Thursday morning, a drone attack resulted in the death of one woman.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, which is similarly impacted by Russian occupation, Governor Ivan Fedorov stated that communities along the frontline were deprived of electricity as a direct consequence of overnight shelling. He mentioned that more than 3,300 customers experienced outages, as he detailed the situation in a post on Telegram.
Meanwhile, in the northwestern Kharkiv region, close to the line of confrontation, Governor Oleh Syniehubov described a “massive” drone attack that left 11 people injured. He reported damage to several homes and industrial sites in the area.
A photo released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service depicted firefighters responding to a fire triggered by a Russian strike in Kharkiv, a stark reminder of the ongoing conflict, dated March 27, 2025.
Central Dnipro faced its own troubles as local military officials reported multiple fires ignited by drone hits. “Enterprises, educational and cultural institutions, and more than a dozen high-rise buildings were damaged in the city,” they said on Telegram, adding that “more than 60 cars were damaged, with several destroyed, including two trucks.”
Overall, Ukraine’s air force disclosed that overnight incursions involved one missile and 86 drones. They reported via Telegram that 42 of these drones were intercepted, while 26 were lost in flight without resulting in damage. Regions such as Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv experienced the brunt of the attacks.
Andriy Kovalenko, who leads the Counter-Disinformation Center under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, indicated on Telegram that the recent Russian strikes pointed toward the deployment of “swarms” of attack drones aimed at overwhelming local defenses in targeted cities.
In contrast, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have downed a Ukrainian drone in the western Bryansk region, an incident that resulted in a power outage, they reported. The ministry also noted an attempt to strike ground equipment at the Glebovsky underground gas storage facility in occupied Crimea, as well as shelling directed at a transformer substation in Bryansk.
Cross-border strikes have persisted despite some progress on a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire meant to halt military engagements in the Black Sea and pause long-range assaults on energy infrastructure in both countries.
Following discussions in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, the White House announced that the involved parties had reached an agreement to “develop measures to implement the agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine.”
The Kremlin has asserted that its moratorium on attacks commenced on March 18; nonetheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s communications advisor reported that Russia had struck Ukrainian energy facilities eight times since that date.
Zelenskyy stated on Wednesday that there had been no strikes on energy infrastructure in either nation since Tuesday, the day Ukraine and Russia agreed to pause their attacks following the most recent talks in Riyadh.
In an atmosphere of suspicion, Zelenskyy remarked, “Ukraine doesn’t trust Russia,” drawing attention to the continuing strikes that occurred even as momentum for a ceasefire appeared to build.
The White House has positioned the partial ceasefire as a success within its broader peace efforts in Ukraine. However, apprehensions linger in Kyiv regarding the potential alignment of President Donald Trump’s administration with Moscow’s narratives surrounding the conflict.
This week, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff — who has played a crucial role in discussions with both Moscow and Kyiv — appeared to echo misleading Russian claims. For instance, he suggested that the Russian-proclaimed annexation of five Ukrainian territories—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea—enjoyed popular support.
During a press conference in Paris on Wednesday, Zelenskyy expressed his concerns: “Witkoff often cites the Kremlin narrative. I think that this does not get us close to peace; it sadly weakens the pressure of the U.S. on the Russian Federation.” He emphasized the importance of sharing accurate information, lamenting that Witkoff’s statements are particularly troubling given the ongoing struggle against Putin.
“I have always communicated to President Trump that we wish for the U.S. to stand with us,” Zelenskyy said firmly. “And even if the U.S. prefers to occupy a neutral position, they need to maintain that distance and not draw closer to the Kremlin.”