Kharkiv strike kills three as Zelenskyy heads to Paris for high-stakes talks
S Arefin 
Kharkiv attack kills three civilians
Russia has launched another deadly strike on Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, killing three people and injuring several others.
Local officials say the attack hit residential buildings in the town of Balakliia, sparking fires and trapping people in damaged apartments.
Emergency crews worked through the night to pull survivors from the rubble and secure the area.
The strike comes after weeks of intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy sites.
Russia claims drone interceptions over occupied areas
Moscow says its air defence forces destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones overnight in regions it currently controls.
The drones reportedly targeted military and logistics infrastructure, part of Kyiv’s wider campaign to disrupt Russian supply lines.
Russia framed the interceptions as proof its defences remain strong despite repeated Ukrainian strikes.
Ukraine has not commented in detail on the specific operation, but it has previously stressed that drone attacks focus on military objectives.
Ukraine claims heavy Russian losses on the front
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff claims its forces killed or wounded more than 1,000 Russian soldiers in the past 24 hours.
Officials also report the destruction of tanks, artillery systems and air-defence equipment along multiple front lines.
These figures cannot be independently verified, and Russia rarely publishes its own casualty numbers.
Both sides continue to use battlefield statistics to bolster morale at home and to influence international opinion.
Zelenskyy in Paris for Macron talks on air defence
As fighting continues, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
He is expected to finalise deals for additional air-defence systems, missiles and warplanes, including long-term aviation cooperation.
France says the visit will reaffirm its long-term commitment to Ukraine and advance broader security guarantees under a “coalition of the willing” backed by European partners.
The agreements aim to strengthen Ukraine’s skies as Russia steps up missile and drone attacks on cities and power infrastructure.
War pressure grows amid corruption scandal in Kyiv
Kyiv’s diplomatic push comes while the government faces anger at home over a major corruption scandal in the energy sector.
Investigators allege that officials and business figures siphoned around $100 million from state-owned energy companies during the war.
Zelenskyy has promised a sweeping “clean-up” of the sector and management changes at key firms.
However, critics warn that the scandal risks undermining public trust and could complicate Ukraine’s push for more Western support.
As a result, Ukraine now fights on two fronts: resisting Russia’s military campaign while trying to reassure allies that wartime aid will be used transparently.
How Zelenskyy balances these pressures in Paris and at home may shape the next phase of the conflict.
Sources: Al Jazeera/Reuters
Image: Reuters
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Sultanul Arefin 
Suzan Seherin 
