At least seven civilians killed in Russian attacks across Ukraine on the eve of Trump-Putin meeting

Russian attacks have killed at least seven civilians and injured 17 people across Ukraine, ahead of a high-stakes peace summit between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska.

On Friday, Russia launched nearly 100 drones and missiles overnight, with air defences intercepting 63 of the drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

Four people were killed in the Kharkiv region, two in Donetsk, and one in Kherson. Seventeen people were wounded nationwide, including a child, with widespread damage reported to homes, a school, and other civilian infrastructure.

Russia has been targeting Ukrainian cities in daily aerial attacks, which have intensified significantly over the past months.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine reached another three-year high in July. 

With 286 civilians killed and 1,388 injured, the July casualty number was the highest since May 2022. 

HRMMU said the use of long-range weapons such as missiles and loitering munitions accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the casualties – 89 killed and 572 injured.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, HRMMU has documented the deaths of at least 13,883 civilians, including 726 children.

Targeting Russia’s defence production, Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Russia's Samara region and other Russian targets overnight on Friday, Ukraine's General Staff said.

The refinery is located in Syzran, Russia’s Samara region, which lies about 800 kilometres from Ukraine's border with Russia.

Kyiv said the facility is one of the largest in the Rosneft system, Russia's state-controlled oil giant. The Syzran plant produces a wide range of fuels, including aviation fuel, and supplies the Russian Armed Forces, Ukraine’s General Staff reported.