Russian strikes killed at least two people in Ukraine overnight into Sunday, officials said, just hours after Moscow’s foreign minister brushed off German efforts to de-escalate the war.
In Kyiv, a man was found dead after a Russian drone struck a non-residential building, according to Ukraine’s emergency service. Another drone hit a single-story vehicle repair shop, and firefighters were still battling the resulting blaze into early Sunday.
Russian forces also struck Ukraine’s southern Odesa region multiple times overnight, killing one person and injuring two others, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the local military administration. Odesa surrounds Ukraine’s main Black Sea port.
The strikes came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed what is believed to be the first direct meeting between Russia’s and Germany’s top diplomats since the 2022 invasion. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, was requested by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
Lavrov said Wadephul “simply reiterated his official position condemning Russia.”
“You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not,” Lavrov said.
A German delegation official said Wadephul remained open to improving relations with Moscow but made clear that any thaw would require genuine willingness from Russia’s leadership to end the war.
Relations between Berlin and Moscow have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks following an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig airport, which German officials blamed on the Kremlin.
Front-line positions have remained largely static since last year even as the aerial war intensifies. Russia has continued pounding Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, glide bombs and jet-powered drones, while Ukraine has struck back with long-range drones targeting Russian oil refineries and businesses.
Russia continues to describe its invasion as a “special military operation” meant to secure its own safety and protect Russian speakers, a claim that an overwhelming majority of U.N. member states have rejected, repeatedly condemning the invasion.
