KYIV, Ukraine — (AP) — Russia launched heavy aerial attacks on Ukraine for a second night Saturday after the United States stopped sharing satellite images with the Ukrainian government, officials said. At least 22 people have been killed.
The U.S. decision to withhold intelligence and military aid came on the heels of a tempestuous White House visit last week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Donald Trump is trying to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace deal with Russia.
Without U.S. satellite imagery, Ukraine's ability to strike inside Russia and defend itself from bombardment is significantly diminished.
“This is what happens when someone appeases barbarians," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X Saturday. "More bombs, more aggression, more victims. Another tragic night in Ukraine.”
At least 11 people were killed in multiple strikes on a town in Ukraine's embattled eastern Donetsk region late Friday, and another seven people were killed in four towns close to the front where Russian troops have been making steady advances, said regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin. Three others died when a Russian drone hit a civilian workshop in the northeastern Kharkiv region, emergency service officials reported. One man was killed by shelling in the region.
Filashkin declared a day of mourning Saturday and warned that more victims could still be found in the rubble.
Russia fired two ballistic missiles into the center of the front-line town of Dobropillya, then launched a strike targeting rescuers who responded, according to Zelenskyy. Forty-seven people, including seven children, were injured in the attack.
“It is a vile and inhumane intimidation tactic to which the Russians often resort,” he said.
Just 24 hours before the attacks, Russia hit Ukrainian energy facilities with dozens of missiles and drones, hobbling its ability to deliver heat and light to its citizens and to power weapons factories vital to its defenses.
When asked Friday if Russian President Vladimir Putin was taking advantage of the U.S. pause on intelligence-sharing to attack Ukraine, Trump responded: “I think he’s doing what anybody else would.”
Zelenskyy did not mention intelligence-sharing Saturday, but said he welcomed Trump's proposal Friday to impose large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and final peace settlement is reached.
"Everything that helps Putin finance the war must be broken,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelenskyy also said he and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials would travel to Saudi Arabia later this week to discuss proposals aimed at ending the war. In a post on X, he wrote that he was scheduled to meet with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, but that only his team would remain in the country to meet with U.S. officials.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war," he wrote. “Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.”
Ukraine’s air force reported Saturday that Russian troops launched three Iskander missiles and 145 drones over the country overnight. The bombardment contained a mix of attack and decoy drones intended to confuse air defenses. One missile and 79 drones were shot down, while 54 more drones were lost without causing damage, the Ukrainian air force said.
Meanwhile, Russian troops shot down 31 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 26 over the country’s Krasnodar region, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday.
Falling debris from one drone sparked a blaze at the KINEF oil refinery in Russia’s northern Leningrad region, local Gov. Aleksandr Drozdenko said in a statement. No casualties were reported.
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This story has been edited to correct that Tusk is the prime minister, not the president of Poland, and to clarify the details of Zelenskyy’s scheduled meeting with Saudi Arabia.
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Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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