Drones, damage and diplomacy as Ukraine nears EU membership

Ukraine and Russia continued to trade strikes overnight, with casualties reported in Dnipropetrovsk and a fatal drone attack in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Kyiv said Moscow launched hundreds of drones and missiles, while Ukraine said it intercepted many drones and targeted Russian oil facilities in retaliation. Separately, the EU moved to open the first negotiation cluster with Ukraine (and Moldova), signaling progress toward eventual EU membership.