During Switzerland “peace talks” Russian forces kill six, injure 38 in Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv Oblasts (updated)
At least six people were killed and 38 injured on November 23 when Russian forces struck Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv oblasts with FPV drones, UAVs, and artillery, damaging residential buildings, energy infrastructure, and heating networks, regional officials said.
Vladyslav Haivanenko, Acting Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, reported that a 42-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man were killed in Russian strikes in Marhanets.
He also added that the five wounded included a 59-year-old man and women aged 21, 48, 52, and 69, noting that the condition of the 69-year-old woman is assessed as serious.
The Nikopol District was hit by FPV drones, UAVs, and artillery across the district center and four “hromadas” — the basic unit of local self-government in Ukraine that may include one or more settlements — villages, towns, or cities. The strikes damaged nearly 10 gas stations, two five-story apartment buildings, a private house, a store, a garage, several cars, utility buildings, and a gas pipeline.
Haivanenko also reported that the number of wounded from the overnight attack in Dnipro has increased to 16.
Moreover, Russians killed three people and injured 15 in Kharkiv on the evening of November 23 following a massive attack by Russian drones, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, and Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Local authorities reported that a series of explosions occurred around 9:30 p.m. on November 23 in Kharkiv. The attack included a total of 15 strikes across six locations, according to Terekhov, with confirmed hits in the Saltivskyi and Shevchenkivskyi Districts.
Casualty figures were updated multiple times, eventually including a 12-year-old child among the wounded.
The mayor confirmed that three residential buildings were destroyed, and a transformer substation was damaged. Serious damage was sustained by the energy infrastructure and the heating network.
As of 00:21 a.m. on November 24, Terekhov reported that the body of another deceased person was found under the rubble of a private house, bringing the total number of Kharkiv civilians killed by the Russian occupiers on Sunday evening to four. The number of injured increased to 17 people.
Meanwhile, after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a 28-point plan to end the war, which Russian ruler Vladimir Putin said could form the basis of an agreement, Ukrainian and U.S. delegations met in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23.
The draft US-Russia peace plan has been widely leaked in American media. Media reports suggested that the plan legitimize Russian violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and internal interference. The reports also suggest that this plan was drafted without Ukraine, despite numerous calls to adhere to the principle “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Two sources with knowledge of the talks said the upbeat statements by Rubio and Yermak came several hours after a tense meeting Sunday morning.
During the meeting, the American side accused the Ukrainians of leaking negative details about the plan in the U.S. press. The Ukrainians agreed to issue a positive statement by one of their negotiators in order to clear the air, according to a source. Later in the day, the Ukrainian side presented a counterproposal with requests for changes to Trump’s plan, according to a source with knowledge of the talks.
During a second press news conference in Geneva, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the two sides have been discussing a 28-point plan, and the items that remain “open” are “not insurmountable.” He declined to give details of the outstanding issues, saying it is an ongoing process.
He said that on November 24, the delegates in Geneva will keep working toward a peace plan.
Rubio stated that he has not seen any European counterproposal to the one being discussed over the past few days. It comes after several media outlets reported they had seen an alternative plan from European allies.
Previously, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said any “credible” peace plan needs to “stop the killing” while also “not sowing the seeds for a future conflict”. In her statement, she highlighted three key elements that the Commission wants included:
- Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed by force;
- No limits on Ukraine’s armed forces that would leave it “vulnerable to future attack”;
- The “centrality” of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine “must be fully reflected”, with Ukraine “ultimately joining our Union”.
She also makes a plea for “the return of each and every Ukrainian child kidnapped by Russia”, saying “tens of thousands of boys and girls remain trapped” in the country.
