Ukrainian drone kills tractor driver in Russia as Moscow strikes rescue crews

A 40-year-old man operating a tractor was killed in the Kursk region of western Russia following a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday. Regional governor Alexander Khinshtein confirmed the death, marking another instance of Ukrainian strikes reaching deep into Russian territory near the border.

On the same day, rescue efforts in southern Ukraine were disrupted when a Russian drone struck emergency workers at the site of a previous attack. The incident occurred in the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region, an area close to the active frontline.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the strike on Sunday, noting that Moscow had used a first-person view drone to hit the village where rescue operations had been ongoing for seven days. He described the action as a display of absolute cynicism and brutality, adding that there were fears more people remained trapped under the rubble.

The village of Komyshuvakha was already the site of a devastating attack last Monday, when multiple Russian guided bombs struck while residents waited for humanitarian aid. That incident resulted in the deaths of at least 55 people, according to local authorities.

Despite the new strike on Sunday, no additional people were reported injured at Komyshuvakha. However, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that specialized rescue equipment was damaged. The country's military intelligence agency, HUR, stated that approximately 50 people remained missing from the previous Monday's attack, with DNA analysis ongoing to identify the many recovered bodies.

Local residents continue to search for loved ones. Mykola Krasnov, a 72-year-old villager, said he had not heard from rescuers regarding his wife. He explained that she had gone to collect humanitarian aid when a three-ton bomb was dropped. He noted that her body had not been found at the site, and she was not present in the local morgue.

Ukraine has frequently accused Moscow of a strategy to target emergency crews by launching multiple strikes at the same location in quick succession. This tactic aims to maximize casualties among rescue workers responding to the initial impact.

The conflict has also affected critical infrastructure. A Russian attack on energy systems in the Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without power, with outages reported in other areas as well. Zelenskyy highlighted these disruptions in his recent communications.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, the nuclear power plant under Russian control has lost its external electricity supply. Management stated that a damaged power line was disconnected for safety reasons on Sunday. The facility, which is the largest in Europe, is now running on backup diesel generators. Although the plant went offline after Russia captured it early in the war, it still requires power to maintain essential cooling systems.

Diplomatic efforts continue alongside the fighting. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, announced that European officials will participate in discussions on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi next week. He confirmed on radio station RTL that France would be well represented in the talks, though the specific attendees have not yet been named.