Civilians killed in cross border drone attacks days before key Peace negotiations

Drone and missile attacks killed civilians in both Ukraine and Russia on Saturday, highlighting the continuing violence even as preparations are underway for renewed peace negotiations in Geneva next week.

In southern Ukraine, an elderly woman was killed after a Russian drone struck a residential building in the Black Sea port city of Odesa , according to the country’s emergency services. In Russia’s Bryansk border region , a civilian died when a Ukrainian drone hit a car, regional officials said. Russia-installed authorities also reported that an airstrike wounded 15 people in a village in the partially occupied Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.

The latest casualties followed a missile strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod on Friday that killed two people and injured five others, regional authorities said. The series of attacks underlined the growing toll on non-combatants as the conflict continued with no pause in hostilities.

The violence comes days before fresh U.S.-brokered talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives scheduled to take place in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday . Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the timing, while Ukrainian officials also acknowledged the upcoming negotiations.

The discussions will be held just ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine , a milestone that has intensified diplomatic pressure to seek a breakthrough. However, the talks are taking place against a backdrop of persistent fighting along a front line stretching roughly 1,250 kilometers .

Russia has continued near-daily drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, including power facilities and residential neighborhoods . Ukraine, in turn, has expanded long-range drone strikes targeting sites inside Russian territory linked to military and logistics operations. Analysts say neither side currently holds a decisive battlefield advantage, while civilian populations increasingly bear the consequences .

Previous U.S.-led efforts to end the war including two rounds of talks held in Abu Dhabi failed to resolve key disputes, particularly over control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region , much of which remains under Russian occupation. Security guarantees and territorial integrity remain major sticking points.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Western partners for providing air defense systems , saying they had helped protect critical infrastructure and save lives .

“Russian attacks happen almost every night in Ukraine and massive strikes happen at least once a week ,” he said. Zelenskyy reiterated that firm security guarantees must come before any peace agreement with Moscow.

He also said the United States has set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach a deal, though previous deadlines have passed without tangible results.

As diplomacy resumes in Geneva, the continued deaths of civilians on both sides underscore the urgency of the negotiations . With the invasion anniversary approaching and violence showing no sign of slowing, pressure is mounting on both governments to move beyond stalled talks toward a framework that could halt the war and prevent further loss of life .