Russian Strikes Kill Civilians as CSIS Tallies Massive Losses, Talks Edge Forward

Overview

• Ukraine reported an overnight barrage of one ballistic missile and 146 attack drones, saying 103 were shot down or neutralized by electronic warfare, while Russia claimed its air defenses destroyed 75 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and southern regions.
• More than 50 drones struck Odesa, killing at least three and damaging residential and university buildings, and attack drones hit a passenger train in the Kharkiv region with several deaths confirmed by Ukrainian officials.
• Two people were killed near Kyiv in Bilohorodka as strikes also hit Odesa, Kryvyi Rih and the Zaporizhzhia region, with authorities reporting damage to local infrastructure.
• A CSIS study estimates about 1.2 million Russian military casualties, including up to 325,000 deaths, and 500,000 to 600,000 Ukrainian casualties with up to 140,000 deaths, underscoring a war of attrition that Moscow disputes.
• Diplomatic contacts continue with U.S.-mediated talks set to resume in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and the Kremlin reiterating an invitation for President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Moscow, while Kyiv announced receipt of about 1,000 bodies identified by Russia as Ukrainian soldiers in a repatriation exchange.