Russia and Ukraine Exchange Deadly Drone Strikes as Ceasefire Talks Stall
By Nia Kwame - Breaking News - June 25 2025
Wafric News – June 25, 2025
The war in Ukraine has surged to a deadly new phase, with Russia and Ukraine launching drone attacks against each other, even as diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire remain frozen.
At least 10 civilians were killed across Ukraine on Tuesday in a series of overnight Russian strikes, while Ukrainian drones targeted a residential building near Moscow, injuring two, including a pregnant woman.
The renewed violence comes amid growing fears that Russia is exploiting global distraction caused by the Israel-Iran conflict, with Washington’s attention increasingly split.
Dnipro Suffers One of Deadliest Strikes in Recent Weeks
The worst of Tuesday’s attacks occurred in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, where a Russian missile strike killed at least seven people and wounded more than 70 others, including 10 children, according to local authorities.
Dnipro regional governor Sergiy Lysak confirmed the toll on social media, as emergency services raced to pull survivors from the rubble.
Meanwhile, in Sumy, a northern Ukrainian region bordering Russia, three people — including an eight-year-old boy — were killed when a drone strike hit a village. Local officials described the victims as neighbours living on the same street.
“They went to sleep in their homes. But Russian drones interrupted their sleep — forever,” the Sumy military administration posted on Telegram.
Ukraine: 'Russia Rejects Peace'
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the latest barrage, calling it a “rejection of peace” and a “message of terror” deliberately timed to coincide with the NATO summit in The Hague.
“While leaders gather to talk peace and security, Russia sends its response — more death, more destruction,” Sybiha wrote.
He urged Ukraine’s Western allies to increase pressure on Moscow, particularly as military aid and support for Ukraine remain uncertain amidst shifting geopolitical priorities.
Ukrainian rescuers conduct a search operation in a residential building damaged by a drone attack in Kyiv
Kyiv Looks to Washington for Answers
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit to discuss the impasse in ceasefire talks and Kyiv’s mounting need for military and humanitarian support.
While President Trump had pledged during his campaign to “end the war quickly”, no meaningful ceasefire progress has been made. The last direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv — reportedly facilitated by Washington — stalled three weeks ago.
Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately stalling negotiations while seeking to gain further ground on the battlefield. Since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia now occupies nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory, including parts of four regions it claims to have annexed, in addition to Crimea, which it seized in 2014.
Ukraine Targets Moscow in Response
In apparent retaliation, Ukraine intensified drone strikes deep inside Russian territory. Moscow officials confirmed that a drone attack hit a high-rise residential building in Krasnogorsk, just west of the capital.
Russian authorities say the drone triggered a fire on the 17th floor of the building, prompting the evacuation of over 100 residents, including 30 children. Two people were hospitalized.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its air defence systems shot down 20 Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over the Moscow region.
Tensions High, Peace Elusive
As Russia tightens its grip on occupied territories and Ukraine digs in with support from Western allies, efforts to end the war seem increasingly remote.
The Kremlin has accused NATO of fueling the conflict, saying the alliance is “demonizing Russia” to justify rising military expenditure. Meanwhile, Ukraine and its supporters argue that the only way to peace is by confronting Moscow’s aggression head-on.
With international attention now split across multiple global flashpoints, the war in Ukraine risks sliding into a long, grinding conflict — with civilians continuing to bear the brunt of the devastation.
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