Russian strikes hit gas pipeline, cut electricity in Ukraine, officials say

(LONDON) -- Russian strikes injured five people, and damaged homes and a gas pipeline in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson overnight on Wednesday, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

One Russian strike drone was shot down over the Kherson region -- most of which is occupied by Russian forces, with the region bisected by the frontline marked by the Dnieper River -- and one woman was killed by a drone attack on Thursday morning, Prokudin added.

Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the southern Zaporizhzhia region -- which is also partially occupied by Russia -- said local frontline communities were left without electricity due to overnight shelling. More than 3,300 customers were affected, Fedorov said in a post to Telegram.

In the northwestern Kharkiv region, close to the front line, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said 11 people were injured in a "massive" drone attack. Several homes and industrial sites were damaged, he said.

In the central city of Dnipro, the local military administration reported multiple fires caused by drone impacts. "Enterprises, educational and cultural institutions, more than a dozen high-rise buildings were damaged in the city," it said on Telegram. "More than 60 cars were damaged, several more were destroyed. Two trucks were also hit."

Overall, Ukraine's air force reported one missile and 86 drones launched into the country overnight. The force said on Telegram that 42 drones were shot down and 26 were lost in flight without causing damage. Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and Chernihiv regions were impacted, it said.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that recent Russian strikes suggested the use of "swarms" of attack drones against specific cities to overwhelm local defenses.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the "swarms" targeted "densely populated residential areas in Ukraine's major cities."

"No military objectives -- only terror against civilians," he wrote in a post to X. "Dozens of them were injured, including children. Russia's actions show that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to prolong the war rather than reciprocating Ukraine, U.S., and partners' effort to end it."

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down one Ukrainian drone over the western Bryansk region. The ministry said the drone caused a power outage. It also said there was an attempt to attack ground equipment at the Glebovsky underground gas storage facility in occupied Crimea and shelling of a transformer substation in Bryansk.

Strikes continue after partial ceasefire reached

Cross-border strikes have continued despite progress on a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire intended to freeze military action in the Black Sea and pause long-range attacks on energy infrastructure facilities in both countries.

Following talks in Saudi Arabia this week, the White House said the parties agreed to "develop measures to implement the agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine."

The Kremlin said its moratorium began on March 18, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's communications adviser said Russia has hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure eight times since that date.

Zelenskyy said on Wednesday there had been no attacks on energy infrastructure in either country since Tuesday, when Ukraine and Russia agreed to pause strikes following the latest round of talks in Riyadh.

French President Emmanuel Macron, during a press briefing Thursday at the end of a summit of 31 nations that focused on support for Ukraine and European security, accused Russia of "pretending to start negotiations" in order to weaken its opponent "whilst at the same time intensifying attacks."

Macron said President Donald Trump was now waiting for a clear response from Moscow on the idea of implementing an initial 30-day full ceasefire.

"Ukraine had the courage to accept a 30-day ceasefire. Since this Ukrainian decision, there has been no Russian response. There have been new conditions for more partial and hypothetical ceasefires and at the same time, every day, increasingly heavy strikes," Macron said.

Macron also doubled down on his ambition to create a "reassurance force" of European troops, led by the French and British, which could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in order to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.

In a recent interview, Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff criticized the initiative, calling it a "posture."

Macron said Thursday that the U.K. and France were working with "several" other countries on the initiative for a force that would involve ground troops, stationed well away from the front lines, as well as the deployment of naval and air assets in Ukraine.

U.K. and French officials have previously indicated that a U.S. backstop or guarantee would be necessary for European troops to be deployed to Ukraine.

Asked whether the U.S. is behind the idea, Macron said he hoped the U.S. would be involved but said Europe must prepare for the possibility that the U.S. is not. He also said that if the U.S. does not get involved, then Europe must still act in its own interests.

Zelenskyy: 'We want the US to be on our side'

The White House framed the partial ceasefire as a victory in its broader push for peace in Ukraine. But concerns remain in Kyiv that Trump's administration is too aligned with Moscow's narrative on the conflict.

This week, Witkoff -- who has been central to talks with both Moscow and Kyiv -- echoed misleading Russian talking points, for example suggesting that Russia's claimed annexation of five Ukrainian territories -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea -- had the support of the local population.

During a press conference with reporters in Paris on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Witkoff "often cites the Kremlin narrative."

"I think that this does not get us close to peace, I think this sadly will weaken the pressure of the U.S. on the Russian Federation," he added. "I have spoken with President Trump more than once -- we are trying to share real and truthful information since Witkoff's declarations disturbs us a lot since we are fighting Putin and we do not want him to receive support."

"I have always said to President Trump that we want the U.S. to be on our side," Zelenskyy said. "And even if the U.S. has chosen to be in the middle, then they need to stay in the middle and not come closer to the Kremlin."

ABC News' Anna Sergeeva, Nataliia Popova, Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, Ellie Kaufman and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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