Russia and Ukraine exchange airstrikes as US envoy describes renewed security talks as productive

Kyiv, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine engaged in a series of airstrikes overnight, as the second day of talks on postwar reconstruction and security guarantees concluded in Brussels on Thursday. The ongoing conflict highlighted the immense rebuilding challenges that lie ahead, along with the ongoing efforts to locate individuals still missing after a devastating airstrike in southern Ukraine on Monday.

Ukrainian forces deployed hundreds of drones against Russian targets, while Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down nearly 500 drones in response overnight.

The Ukrainian attack on a bus in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region resulted in the death of five people and injuries to 13 others on Thursday, according to Leonid Pasechnik, the region's Moscow-backed leader. The identity of the victims and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. Meanwhile, rescue teams continued their search for over 30 people potentially trapped in the rubble of a former school and a nearby shelter that were struck by Russian guided bombs on Monday.

The attack in Komyshuvakha, located near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region, occurred as residents were waiting for humanitarian aid.