KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched over 270 drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least five people, Ukrainian authorities reported on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, made unannounced visits to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as Kyiv seeks to use its drone expertise to help Gulf Arab states blunt Iran’s attacks as the war in the Middle East rages on.
Two people were killed and at least 11 more were injured in a nighttime Russian drone strike on Odesa, according to the head of the region, Serhii Lysak. According to Lysak’s Telegram posts, the attack damaged a maternity hospital and private houses in the major Black Sea port city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the “massive” strike involved more than 60 drones.
“Last night, the Russians launched a massive strike on Odesa. There was no military purpose whatsoever — this was pure terror against ordinary civilian life,” he said Saturday on X. He added that port and “critical” infrastructure were also damaged, as well as business premises.
Two men died and two more were wounded early on Saturday in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine, after a Russian drone hit an industrial facility, regional head Oleksandr Gandzha said in a Telegram update. He did not specify what the industrial building was.
One person was killed overnight in the Poltava region, also in central Ukraine, as Russia struck unspecified industrial sites there, regional authorities reported on Saturday.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 273 drones at Ukraine during the night, 252 of which were downed or electronically jammed.
Zelenskyy visits Arab Gulf nations
Also on Saturday, Zelenskyy and Emirati state media reported on a meeting between the Ukrainian President and his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss regional security amid the Iran war.
Later that day, Zelenskyy posted on X to say he had arrived in Qatar.
“Real security is built on partnership, we value everyone and remain open to supporting all those who are ready to work together for this goal,” he wrote alongside a video of himself disembarking a plane and shaking hands with Qatari officials.
The war in the Middle East erupted a month ago when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. The Islamic Republic retaliated with strikes against Israel and the Gulf Arab States and the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway. The war has upended global travel and sent oil prices soaring as its economic fallout extended well beyond the region.
Last week, Zelenskyy revealed that Kyiv is helping five countries, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, counter Tehran’s drone strikes on their territory.
OLEKSANDR GIMANOV via Getty Images
“For Ukraine, this is also a matter of principle: terror must not prevail anywhere in the world. Protection must be sufficient everywhere,” he commented on X following his meeting with the Emirati leader.
He added they had discussed “the security situation in the Emirates, Iranian strikes, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affects the global oil market”.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian leader visited Saudi Arabia. Days earlier, he said Kyiv is looking into whether it can play a role in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the Emirates News Agency, Zelenskyy and Al Nahyan discussed “security developments in the region amid ongoing military escalation and their implications for regional and international peace and security, as well as their impact on international navigation and the global economy”.
Ukraine has quickly grown into one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective. They are playing a key part in its defense against Russia’s more than 4-year-old full-scale invasion.
In return for its aid to Gulf countries, Ukraine is seeking more high-end air-defense missiles that they possess and that Kyiv needs to blunt Russia’s attacks.
Drones kill a child in Russia’s Yaroslavl region
In Russia, a child died after a Ukrainian drone hit a private house in Russia’s western Yaroslavl region, local Gov. Mikhail Evraev reported in the early hours on Saturday.
According to Evraev’s Telegram post, the child’s parents were hospitalized with serious injuries after the attack. A female neighbor was also injured in the nighttime strike that saw over 30 drones shot down over the region, Evraev reported. He said several private homes and a retail building were damaged.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that 155 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the night over Russia and occupied Crimea.
