Defiant Putin launches fresh strike in night of hell in Ukraine despite ‘meeting with Trump' as early as NEXT WEEK
ENDLESS ONSLAUGHT Defiant Putin launches fresh strike in night of hell in Ukraine despite 'meeting with Trump' as early as NEXT WEEK
RUSSIA has stepped up its savage bombing campaign on Ukraine despite hopes of an end to the war.
The attacks comes as Vladimir Putin is set to meet Trump in an historic summit for Ukraine peace talks.
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Putin is set to meet Trump in a historic summit
Credit: AFP or licensors
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Video footage shows the Kremlin's forces striking a key bridge in Kherson
Credit: East2West
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Putin greets Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow for last-minute talks
Video footage shows the Kremlin's forces striking a key bridge in Kherson, which it failed to dislodge in six massive aerial attacks.
Russian war channels suggest sabotage groups will seek to capture the major city, which is close to the front-line - a claim strongly disputed by Ukraine.
Separate footage shows Shahed-2 drones striking Dnipropetrovsk region, where four were injured including a 69-year-old woman.
Putin's forces also killed at least three Ukrainians in Nikopol, including Danylo Khizhnyak, a 23-year-old firsts responder.
Separately, the Russians killed a 62-year-old civilian woman in Huliaipole, near the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region.
Moscow released visuals of this week's joint war games with China - Maritime Interaction-2025 - in which the two repressive states conducted artillery combat on a 'simulated enemy' in a show of strength to the West.
The savage onslaught comes amid reports of a planned meeting between Trump and Putin to discuss an end to the war.
Trump discussed the potential meeting with Putin yesterday during a call with Zelensky and other European leaders, the New York Times reports.
Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Nato chief Mark Rutte were among those on the call.
Russia vows 'no limits' on nuke missiles in chilling warning to West as Putin throws down gauntlet for Cold War showdown
Both Putin and Zelensky have yet to make a response about the meeting that could mark the beginning of the end of Putin's invasion.
When asked if he thought Putin was serious about the talks, Trump told reporters: 'Can't answer the question yet. I'll tell you in a matter of weeks, maybe less. But we made a lot of progress.'
Meanwhile he vowed more sanctions against countries trading oil with Russia, so funding the Putin war machine.
'We did it with India, we're doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China,' said Trump.
Trump said a face to face encounter with Putin could come by next week.
'There's a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,' he said.
But he cautioned the progress made was not a 'breakthrough" with his secretary of state Marco Rubio insisting many obstacles still needed to be overcome.
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Dozens have been killed in Vlad's latest attacks
Credit: East2West
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Russia struck the Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine
Credit: East2West
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An explosion in the Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine
Credit: East2West
Ukraine sought to increase pressure on Putin with precision strikes on key military and strategic targets in overnight action.
Volodymyr Zelensky's forces reportedly hit a Russian military unit in Slavyansk-na-Kubani in Krasnodar region.
'Eyewitnesses observe a fire in the area of the military unit,' said a report.
Reports said the strike was against military unit 61661.
A spectacular and 'massive' inferno was burning at Afipsky Refinery in the same region after 6am explosions which 'rocked the facility, with flames lighting up the sky'.
It is one of the largest refineries in southern Russia.
Ukraine also targeted air defence units near Kerch in occupied Crimea, according to reports.
And they hit the Surovikino railway station triggering a fire in Volgograd region, where a temporary airport closure was enforced.
This was another in a series of recent strikes aimed at disrupting Putin's rail transport system, especially involving military cargoes.
Earlier, unmanned boats were reported to be attacking key port Novorossiysk, in Krasnodar region.
Russia claimed to have "repelled' the 4am attack, but there was no independent verification.
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Putin's forces killed at least three Ukrainians in Nikopol
Credit: East2West
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