Russia maintains Ukraine strikes amid US diplomacy

Moscow [Russia], October 19: Russia renewed its attacks on Ukraine's energy supply overnight to Saturday, following talks in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at ending the war.
Russia carried out more than 10 strikes on Chuhuiv in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, Mayor Halyna Minayeva posted on Facebook.
Almost all of the town's districts have been paralysed, Minayeva wrote. Energy suppliers would only be able to begin restoring power once the sites of the explosions have been fully examined. The governor of the Zaporizhzhya region in south-eastern Ukraine, Ivan Fedorov, also reported fires as a result of Russian attacks. No one was injured, he said.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia attacked its neighbour during the night with 164 explosive-laden drones. Of these, 136 were repelled, with 27 hits recorded in 12 locations.
The latest strikes came shortly after Trump and Zelensky held talks in Washington on Friday. The US leader later urged Russia and Ukraine to immediately cease fighting, saying enough blood had been shed.
"They should stop where they are," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. However, both sides reportedly continued to attack by air.
The Ministry of Defence in Moscow reported that it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the Black Sea, including three over the Moscow region.
According to the aviation authority Rosaviatsiya, restrictions were imposed at nine airports in Russia for safety reasons. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune