Peace talks in Istanbul. Drone strikes across Ukraine and Russia. The war is negotiating—but still escalating.
ISTANBUL — As Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey for high-level talks with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia and Ukraine were already sending a different message overnight—through waves of drones, missiles, and mounting casualties.
At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured in strikes across both countries, underscoring a now-familiar dynamic: negotiations resume just as the war intensifies.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 286 drones in one of the largest barrages in recent weeks, with 260 intercepted. Even so, several strikes got through. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, five civilians were killed in Nikopol and 19 wounded. In Sumy, near the Russian border, attacks hit residential areas, injuring 11. A separate strike in Kyiv ignited a fire in a commercial building.
Russia, for its part, reported civilian casualties and infrastructure damage from Ukrainian attacks. In the Rostov region, one person was killed and four injured after a strike triggered fires at a logistics facility and a nearby vessel. Authorities in Samara said another attack damaged residential buildings and injured one person. In the Russian-controlled Luhansk region, officials said a Ukrainian strike killed a family of three, including a child.
Moscow said it intercepted 85 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions, including Crimea and the Black Sea.
Both sides are increasingly targeting infrastructure tied to the war effort. Ukraine’s security service said it struck a metallurgical plant in Alchevsk, a facility linked to Russia’s military supply chain, though the claim could not be independently verified. Russia said its own strikes focused on Ukrainian military-industrial and energy assets.
The escalation comes as Zelenskyy meets Erdogan in Istanbul, where Turkey continues to position itself as a mediator. The Ukrainian leader is also expected to meet Bartholomew I of Constantinople, adding symbolic weight to the visit.
Yet the gap between diplomacy and battlefield reality appears to be widening.
Talks are restarting, but neither side is signaling a willingness to scale back military pressure. Instead, the conflict is evolving into a war of sustained attrition, driven by drone warfare, infrastructure strikes, and incremental gains.
The paradox is stark: negotiations are active, but escalation is accelerating. And for now, the battlefield—not the negotiating table—continues to set the pace.
