Ukrainian strikes hit Russia's Belgorod region overnight, killing two people and wounding four others, including a child, according to the regional operations headquarters cited by Sky TG24.
A couple died in the village of Razumnoye when a projectile struck their home, local authorities said.
The same night, a Russian attack on Kramatorsk in Ukraine's Donetsk region struck two public minibuses, leaving at least 33 people dead and 18 wounded, Sky TG24 reported. Some victims could not yet be identified because of the condition of the bodies. Buildings and cars were also damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kramatorsk strike "will not remain without a response," adding that Russia is trying to destroy all life in the Donbass and that the world must answer firmly.
Why it matters
The two attacks, reported within hours of each other, show that neither side has stepped back from strikes that kill civilians, even as American mediators push a new round of talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the conflict is at a standstill and could escalate, possibly drawing in other countries, according to Sky TG24.
The diplomacy runs in parallel with the fighting. Ukrainian negotiators are expected in Miami to meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with Britain, France, Germany, NATO and the European Union also invited.
Miami talks center on an energy and grain truce
At the Miami meetings, held Friday and Saturday, Witkoff and Kushner plan to restate a proposal for a truce covering strikes on energy infrastructure and grain shipments, Sky TG24 reported. The package is also expected to include ideas on security guarantees for Kyiv, a post-war prosperity plan and other elements of the conflict.
Ukraine has already answered positively to the energy-grain truce proposal, while Russia has so far shown little willingness to accept it, according to the reporting. Axios, citing Ukrainian sources, said the US negotiators are counting on Moscow's need for sanctions relief, which could be offered as part of the package.
Kyiv's delegation is led by presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and includes foreign intelligence chief Rustem Umerov, diplomatic adviser Serhiy Kyslytsia and lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, Sky TG24 reported. National security advisers from Britain, France and Germany will join, along with representatives of NATO and the EU.
Zelensky reports heavy damage to energy infrastructure
Zelensky said in a Telegram post after a coordination meeting with military and government officials that the latest wave of Russian attacks caused extensive damage to Ukraine's energy networks and power transmission infrastructure.
He said Kyiv has updated its requirements for energy equipment and air defense packages, and that the foreign ministry and his presidential office are preparing the necessary contacts with partners. He said he would raise the issue with international leaders.
Moscow says it hit a merchant vessel in Mykolaiv
Russia's defense ministry said its forces attacked a merchant ship in the port of Mykolaiv on Ukraine's Black Sea coast, according to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. The ministry claimed the vessel was used by the Ukrainian military.
The Tass news agency, also citing the defense ministry, said Russian military drones struck Ukrainian port infrastructure and boats used by Ukraine's armed forces overnight. The ministry said the strikes on the facilities continued through the night using unmanned aircraft, without giving further details.
Kharkiv suburb hit, German chancellor criticizes Schroeder
Russia's army launched attacks on the outskirts of Kharkiv on Friday morning, wounding at least three people, according to the reporting.
Separately, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is "deeply outraged" that former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder celebrated his birthday with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, his spokesman Steffen Meier told a news conference in Berlin. Meier said Merz holds Putin solely responsible for the war and considers it immoral for Schroeder to mark such a day with him. German media reported the meeting from Moscow.
Ukrainian journalist detained in Vienna
Mykhailo Tkach, who heads the investigative journalism department at the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda, was detained in Vienna while working on an editorial assignment connected to the search for fugitive Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the outlet reported.
Tkach was in Austria with colleague Yaroslav Bondarenko. Ukrainska Pravda called the detention illegal and demanded his immediate release along with an official explanation of the Austrian authorities' actions.
Ukraine's embassy in Austria asked its Austrian counterparts to clarify the circumstances of the arrest. Foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy said the ministry, the consular service department and the embassy are monitoring the situation. The Ukrainian consul was later granted access to Tkach and spoke with him, but Austrian law enforcement continued to hold the journalist.
What to watch next: whether the Miami talks produce any movement on the energy and grain truce, and whether Moscow signals any openness to the sanctions relief that US negotiators believe it wants.
