Russian strikes on southeastern Ukraine kill eight, including three children, authorities say

At least seven individuals have lost their lives following Russian airstrikes on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Saturday. This came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel, marking a sharp contrast to the sanctions he imposed last month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that Trump's deal with Russia would prolong the ongoing conflict.

Russian strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least seven people in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, with rescuers continuing their search for more victims under the rubble. According to Ukrainian national police, Russia targeted residential neighborhoods in the city with five guided aerial bombs early Saturday, causing damage to two residential buildings.

Ten additional individuals sustained injuries in the attack, reported Mykhailo Semikin, head of Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration. Rescuers are persistently searching for people trapped under the debris. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began more than four and a half years ago with Moscow's full-scale invasion, continues despite their armies being largely deadlocked on the front lines.

Ukraine has been grappling with intense Russian bombardments that have claimed over 55 lives in the past four days, including a bus stop attack that killed 33 people on Thursday. The latest attacks occurred a day after Trump stated he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import diesel. This decision, announced on social media on Friday, is a significant deviation from the sanctions imposed by the U.S. last month, which aimed to curb Russia's oil and gas revenues funding the war against Ukraine.

In response to the deal, Zelenskyy accused Russia of retaliating with more terror and perfidy, stating it would prolong the war. Diplomatic efforts mediated by the U.S. to end the war have thus far been unsuccessful, with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner meeting Ukrainian officials in Miami to discuss a proposal to conclude the conflict.