Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow drone attack death toll rises as crucial US-led peace talks begin – UK Times

Ukraine may have increased its long-range attacks on the Russian capital of Moscow but civilian casualties remain minimal.

There is only one other recorded death from a Ukrainian strike, from back in September last year.

A drone struck a residential building in the Ramenskoye district in southeast Moscow, killing a 46-year-old woman and injuring three others.

There have been at least five Ukrainian aerial attacks aimed at the Moscow region in the past three years, including one in August 2023, three in 2024 and last night’s assault.

Nearly 90 per cent of Ukrainians believe that Russia intends to expand its war in Ukraine beyond the current areas of combat.

A study published by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has found that 87 per cent of Ukrainians, consistent across all regions, believe Moscow will not stop at the current front line.

The survey was published as US president Donald Trump insists that Vladimir Putin will honour his request to freeze the frontline.

The survey was conducted between 14 February and 4 March with 1,029 respondents aged 18 and older, interviewed by telephone across all Ukrainian government-controlled regions.

The number of people who have been killed as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region has risen to three, local officials have claimed.

All three deaths happened as a result of a strike on a parking lot in Domodedovo, in the southern suburbs of Moscow.

Russia has claimed its troops have retaken nearly 40 square miles of territory and 12 settlements in its Kursk region as part of an offensive to force the Ukrainian army to flee from western Russia.

The Russian advances threaten to encircle thousands of Ukrainian soldiers just as Ukraine holds talks with top US diplomats in Saudi Arabia.

Ukrainian troops seized at least 500 square miles of the Kursk region in August in what Kyiv said was an attempt to gain a bargaining chip in future negotiations and to force Russia to shift forces from eastern Ukraine.

But by mid-February, Russia had taken back 300 square miles of territory there. In recent days it launched a major paratrooper offensive from multiple directions that threatens to cut off Ukraine’s supply lines and potential routes of withdrawal.

Ukraine’s top general said on Monday that Ukrainian troops fighting in Kursk were not at risk of encirclement, despite a recent counteroffensive by Russian forces that has included North Korean troops.

“The units are taking timely measures to manoeuvre to advantageous positions for defence,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The head of Ukraine’s peace delegation has said talks with the US in Saudi Arabia have started “very constructively”.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, wrote on Telegram: “The meeting with the US team started very constructively. We are working towards a just and lasting peace.”

Below, we have some more photos from today’s talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, posted several pictures of the meeting.

He is leading the Ukrainian delegation.

Mr Yermak is pictured in the centre of the Ukrainian team on the right. On his right is Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha. On Mr Yermak’s left, is Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov. Both are considered loyalists to Mr Yermak.

Across the table, US secretary of state Marco Rubio is sitting opposite his Ukrainian counterpart. US national security advisor Mike Waltz is sitting on Mr Rubio’s right.

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was due to attend the talks but does not seem to be there. He is expected to travel to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin later this week.

The Saudi Arabian foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is pictured sitting at the head of the table on the left. On his left is the country’s national security adviser Musaid Al Aiban.