BSS
  16 Jul 2025, 09:27
Update : 16 Jul 2025, 10:59

Ukraine says Russian strikes kills three in the east

KYIV, Ukraine, July 16, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A combined Russian strike on Tuesday afternoon killed three people in eastern Ukraine, local authorities said, after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow 50 days to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.

Russia has been stepping up its summer offensive campaign as Washington-mediated ceasefire talks stall, claiming more ground in eastern Ukraine while pounding it with combined drone, artillery and missile strikes.

"Two dead and two injured: law enforcement officers recorded the consequences of another enemy attack in the Kupiansk district," the Kharkiv region prosecutor office said on social media, adding that the victims were 67 and 69 years old.

"The enemy fired artillery at the outskirts of the Velykopysarivska community. Unfortunately, a 50-year-old local resident was killed," said Sumy regional authorities.

Elsewhere on the front line, Russian forces claimed two more villages in the Donetsk region, increasing the pace of their advance.

A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's western city of Voronezh wounded 27 people, local officials said Tuesday.

Trump said he had struck a deal with NATO to supply American air defence systems and weapons to Ukraine and threatened Russia with tariffs and sanctions, as he grows frustrated with Russian leader Vladimir Putin for rejecting a ceasefire and instead intensifying attacks.