Peace hopes despite massive drone attack

RUSSIA launched 273 kamikaze Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight in a series of brutal strikes just days after the start of peace negotiations.

- By Conor Wilson

The attacks killed a woman, 28, and left several civilians wounded, including a four-year-old child. Of the drones, 88 were shot down and 128 lost en route, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, with 57 believed to have hit their targets.

Separately, at least 15 Russian conscripts have reportedly been killed in Friday's devastating Ukrainian strike on a major ammunition store in Perevalnoye, Crimea. Multiple blasts were reported amid a giant smoke cloud as missiles and shells exploded.

The day before, a drone attack on a civilian bus left nine dead and seven volunteers who mounted a fierce defence against elite Russian soldiers. Unlike his opponents, Dmytro, 30, and many of his comrades were civilians just weeks before.

But they had an advantage. Since 2021 he had been organising military training - preparation that proved key when Russia launched their attempt to occupy the city.

Shelling

Thousands of people took up arms. Dmytro recalled: "Despite everything, we managed to hold the city with dignity and honour. It shows hope must never be lost."

A shell fragment struck Dmytro's leg and he now walks with a bionic prosthetic and lives with constant pain.