Russia strikes drone demonstration near Kyiv, killing 10
Russia hit a military training site near Kyiv during a drone demonstration on Friday, killing 10 and injuring around 100. Attacks also struck five regions, cutting power to thousands, while Ukraine hit Wildberries warehouses in St. Petersburg and Crimea.
Russian forces launched strikes across Ukraine on Friday, including a targeted attack on a private military training ground on the outskirts of Kyiv where an aerial defense technology showcase was underway, featuring drones. Acting Kyiv regional military administration head Ruslan Oliinyk said the strike hit the Bucha district, about 20–30 kilometers from central Kyiv. Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko called it a war crime, reporting 10 dead and approximately 100 wounded. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted images of destruction and rescue efforts, emphasizing the urgent need for Patriot interceptor missiles.
Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged the attack, stating it used 'high-precision long-range weapons' to target a demonstration of Ukrainian and foreign drones that it claimed were used to strike civilian targets in Russia. Separately, five people were reported killed in the eastern city of Slovyansk. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned a strike that hit Latvia's honorary consulate in Slovyansk, announcing she would summon Russia's EU envoy and propose further sanctions against Russia's military-industrial complex.
Ukraine's energy company Ukrenergo reported damage to power plants in five regions, leaving about 150,000 people without electricity in Chernihiv region alone. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones struck warehouses of Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries in St. Petersburg, the Leningrad region, and occupied Simferopol in Crimea. Company founder Tatyana Kim confirmed the attacks. Ukraine says Wildberries logistics hubs supply components for Russian military equipment, including drones.
In Romania, the Defense Ministry and NATO said an F-16 fighter shot down a stray drone that entered Romanian airspace, tracking it for over an hour before neutralizing it over an unpopulated area in Buzau County. The White House also confirmed that President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold talks next Tuesday, nearly four and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion began.
