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A Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian army training facility killed at least 12 soldiers and wounded more than 60 others on Sunday, according to the Ukrainian military. The attack targeted a training unit location, with casualties confirmed by 12:50 p.m., the army said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Moscow claimed its forces had captured another village in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, where Kyiv has warned of a potential large-scale cross-border offensive. Russia’s defense ministry said its troops had “liberated” Oleksiivka, a village roughly 7 kilometers from the Russian border.
he training unit is located to the rear of the 1,000-kilometer active front line, where Russian reconnaissance and strike drones are able to strike.
Ukraine’s forces suffer from manpower shortages and take extra precautions to avoid mass gatherings as the skies across the front line are saturated with Russian drones looking for targets.
“If it is established that the actions or inaction of officials led to the death or injury of servicemen, those responsible will be held strictly accountable,” the Ukrainian Ground Forces’ statement said.
The strikes come amid continuing uncertainty as to whether Kyiv diplomats will attend a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul. Ukrainian officials have called on the Kremlin to provide a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the more than three-year war before the meeting takes place.
Moscow previously said it would share its memorandum during the talks.
In his evening address Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Moscow to stop “playing with diplomacy” by withholding the document.
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More Shorts“At this point, we don’t have any clear information about what the Russians are planning to do in Istanbul,” he said.
“Of course, everyone in the world wants diplomacy to work and a real ceasefire to happen. Everyone wants Russia to stop playing with diplomacy and end the war. Everyone wants serious peace, and Russia must agree to this.”
The escalation comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to make hardline demands in peace negotiations, insisting on terms rejected by both Ukraine and the West. Despite ongoing missile and drone attacks, Putin has tried to maintain a diplomatic posture, praising U.S. President Donald Trump’s role and expressing theoretical openness to talks.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he could end the war “in 24 hours,” has drawn criticism for undermining Kyiv and holding direct talks with Putin. However, he has also warned Moscow not to “tap me along” and threatened further sanctions if his peace initiatives are not taken seriously.
With inputs from agencies