Sat Mar 08 10:50:52 UTC 2025: ## Russia Launches Deadly Strikes in Ukraine, Zelenskyy Calls for More Sanctions
**Dobropillia, Ukraine (March 8, 2025)** – A series of Russian attacks across Ukraine on Friday and Saturday left at least 14 civilians dead and dozens more injured, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to renew his call for increased sanctions against Russia.
Overnight strikes hit the city of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region, killing 11 and wounding 30, according to emergency services. The attack, which targeted the city center, left residential buildings and market stalls destroyed. Eyewitnesses described scenes of devastation and horror. Separately, a drone attack on Bogodukhiv in the Kharkiv region killed three and injured seven. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched two missiles and 145 drones in this attack. They also reported the first use of French Mirage fighter jets, recently delivered to Ukraine, in repelling the aerial assault.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately targeting rescuers in Dobropillia after the initial strike, calling it a “despicable and inhumane tactic.” He emphasized the need for stronger air defenses and further sanctions in response to Russia’s continued aggression. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed the strikes targeted energy facilities. Ukrainian energy infrastructure in Odesa and Poltava regions also suffered damage.
These attacks come days before planned talks between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators aimed at achieving a truce. Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of new sanctions against Russia, he also suggested that working with Moscow might be easier than with Kyiv to end the three-year-long conflict. The recent escalation underscores the ongoing urgency of the situation and the need for international action.
First Piper 