Two civilians were killed and three others wounded when Russian drones struck a checkpoint on Ukraine’s border with Moldova, according to the governor of the Odesa region.
“Tonight, enemy drones attacked the Starokozache international road checkpoint on the border with Moldova,” Odesa governor Oleg Kiper said in a social-media post.
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“Sadly, there are casualties among the civilians who were near the checkpoint: according to preliminary information, two people were killed and three wounded.”
A photograph shared with Mr Kiper’s statement showed the border crossing deserted and strewn with wreckage.
Moldova’s foreign ministry said a Moldovan driver was also injured in the strike.
Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan warned that Russia’s war against Ukraine was “increasingly endangering the lives of our citizens as well”.
Mr Tofan said 17 drones had entered or struck Moldovan territory in August alone — more than were recorded throughout the whole of last year.
“The attacks have intensified so much,” he said in a video of a cabinet meeting shared on Facebook.
“It’s becoming the norm, yet at the same time it’s clearly an extremely worrying development.”
Separately, four people, including a child, were killed and 29 injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Novorossiysk, Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the southern Krasnodar region, said on Telegram.
Novorossiysk, a major outlet for Russian oil, oil products and grain exports, has frequently been targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes.
Novorossiysk mayor Andrei Kravchenko said debris from the attack fell on the grounds of several businesses and near a residential building.
Regional authorities said fires broke out after the strike.
Read more: Negotiators may meet again soon for talks – Zelensky
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had shot down 596 Ukrainian drones overnight, one day after President Vladimir Putin held talks with US President Donald Trump on possible ways to end the war in Ukraine.
“Our military repelled a massive overnight enemy drone attack against the region, with Novorossiysk hit the hardest,” Mr Kondratyev said.
In Anapa, another town in the southern Krasnodar region, falling drone debris damaged three homes and a kindergarten, although no injuries were reported, Mr Kondratyev said.
Vladimir Putin Putin spoke by telephone with US President Donald Trump yesterday, as Washington continued pressing for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Kyiv has said such a meeting could take place this month, while the Kremlin has maintained that it is “too early” to discuss a location or dates.
Mr Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to the Russian and Ukrainian capitals at the weekend, where they held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mr Putin.
The diplomatic effort produced no immediate breakthrough in attempts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
