Deadly strikes hit Ukraine as families evacuate eastern towns
Deadly bombardments resumed in Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least nine civilians, despite a renewed US diplomatic push. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had not "changed its attitude" following the strikes. US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Zelensky in Oslo and Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg this week. Both sides expressed readiness to resume direct talks under US mediation, with Moscow suggesting a date around November 10 and Kyiv seeking talks "as soon as possible." Ukrainian authorities ordered mandatory evacuation of families with children from Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the last Ukrainian-held bastions in the Donetsk region. Russia reported shooting down 808 Ukrainian drones. Separately, Ukraine received 252 bodies of presumed soldiers from Russia, while concerns grow over the future of a French artillery factory supplying Ukraine.