Nine dead as Russia, Ukraine exchange strikes
A wave of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine killed four people, while Ukrainian counter-strikes resulted in five deaths in Russian-occupied territories and Russia. The escalation occurs as international allies prepare for diplomatic talks in Paris.
Why it matters
The ongoing conflict continues to escalate with high civilian casualties, complicating international diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Russia fired a wave of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing four people, while Ukrainian strikes on Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine killed five, officials said Sunday (July 12, 2026).
The strikes came a day before Ukraine's allies were set to meet in Paris for talks on pressuring Russia to end its more than four-year war.
Read | Bad for both: On the Russia-Ukraine conflict
U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have stalled in recent months, as Washington has shifted its focus to its war with Iran.
Moscow has meanwhile escalated its campaign of ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine, killing dozens of people including in the capital Kyiv since July.
Three people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region overnight, including two in a strike on an "industrial enterprise" in the city of Kryvyi Rig, regional officials said.
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