Russian drones attacked the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa overnight for the second time this week, injuring at least 18 people and damaging residential buildings, Ukrainian officials said.
The head of the military administration in Odesa, Serhiy Lysak, said the strikes caused severe damage in the central Primorsky district, where high-rise residential buildings and others with 5 floors were damaged. Lysak said on Telegram that the attacks caused large fires on the upper floors and on a roof, and have since been contained.
Emergency services said the number of injured could change, with 14 people injured in an earlier attack on the area on Monday.
Odesa, a major Black Sea port and a major export hub for Ukraine, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian attacks during the nearly four-year war.
Ukraine's air force said Russia had fired one ballistic missile and 206 drones into the country since 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday (15:00 GMT), and 172 of them were shot down or neutralized. It added that one missile and 32 drones hit 22 sites.
Putin offers ceasefire during Victory Day celebration
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump, discussed the developments in Ukraine and the Middle East.
According to Russia's Sputnik news agency, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the two presidents expressed close assessments of the situation, noting that President Trump "believes that reaching an agreement ending the conflict in Ukraine is imminent," adding that President Putin told Trump that Moscow is ready to declare a truce by Victory Day.
Ushakov explained that the US president stressed the importance of ending the hostilities in Ukraine and his readiness to facilitate this by all possible means, noting that his trusted representatives will continue contacts with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Putin strongly condemned the recent assassination attempt on the US president, stressing that he does not accept any form of politically motivated violence.
Regarding the war in the Middle East, Ushakov said that the Russian president considered that extending the ceasefire with Iran is the right decision, because of its positive impact on the stability of the situation, as it would provide an opportunity for negotiations and contribute to the stability of the situation in general.
With the expansion of air strikes and drones, and the increasing and divergent political accusations between the two sides, the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate mutually, amid the absence of any signs of an imminent truce, and each side continuing to present its own version of events on the ground.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday offered a ceasefire in Ukraine on May 9, the day Russia celebrates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Putin said in a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump that he was ready to "declare a ceasefire for the duration of the Victory Day celebrations", his diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
"Trump has strongly supported this initiative, noting that Eid represents our common victory," Ushakov added.
Washington's ambassador to Kyiv announces her resignation
Earlier on Tuesday, the Financial newspaper confirmed that the acting US ambassador to Ukraine, Julie Davis, would leave her post, due to differences with President Donald Trump, without giving further details.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Davis' departure.