Russian Drone Strike Kills 12 Ukrainian Miners As Attacks Continue

Twelve miners were killed in a Russian drone strike in eastern Ukraine, according to DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company. The company said a bus transporting workers after their shift in the Dnipropetrovsk region was hit on Sunday. State emergency services reported that at least 15 people were injured. The death toll was initially reported as 15 before being revised down to at least 12.

The deadly attack came amid a series of strikes across several regions. Earlier, at least two people were killed and nine injured in separate overnight and Sunday attacks, including an incident in Zaporizhzhia where a drone struck a maternity hospital, injuring six people. Zaporizhzhia regional head Ivan Fedorov described the hospital strike—carried out as two women were giving birth—as further “proof of a war directed against life.” BBC Verify confirmed the site as Maternity Hospital No.3 on Bocharova Street. Videos shared online showed shattered windows, damaged patient rooms, children’s areas filled with debris, fire damage, and emergency workers evacuating patients.

The attacks occurred despite Russia agreeing to avoid targeting population centres and energy infrastructure during a period of extreme cold. While areas near the front line have continued to face strikes, major cities such as Kyiv have largely been spared in recent days. Moscow said the pause was intended to support peace talks expected to take place in Abu Dhabi this week, though it did not explicitly reference the cold weather. The Kremlin later said the pause would expire on Sunday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said the maternity hospital strike showed President Vladimir Putin was waging a “war against civilians contrary to peace efforts.” Elsewhere, officials reported additional casualties: a man and a woman killed in a drone strike in Dnipro, injuries in Nikopol, Kherson, and Kharkiv, and further damage in residential areas. Russia’s earlier January attacks on Ukraine’s power grid left millions without heat or electricity during one of the coldest winters in years, with temperatures dropping below -20°C in some regions.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it is working with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to prevent Russia from using Starlink satellite systems for drone attacks. Kyiv relies on Starlink for battlefield communications but said terminals had been found on Russian long-range drones. Musk said steps to stop the “unauthorised” use appeared effective, while Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanked him for being “a true friend of the Ukrainian people.”

On the diplomatic front, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a second round of three-way talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States would now take place later in the week. Peace negotiations, mediated by the US, have stalled over key issues, including territorial control. Russia currently occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine, including much of the Donbas region, while Ukraine is reportedly seeking the return of control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.