Drone strikes kill 9 in Ukraine hours after U.S. signs minerals deal with Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine. At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured in separate drone strikes in Ukraine and Russia-occupied territory on Thursday, mere hours after the U.S. and Ukraine finalized a long-anticipated agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources.

The bloodiest strike occurred in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, in the southern Kherson region, where a Ukrainian drone attack hit a busy market. Seven people were killed and over 20 wounded, according to Moscow-appointed Governor Vladimir Saldo.

“At the time of the attack, there were many people in the market,” Saldo wrote on Telegram. He claimed that after the initial wave, Ukraine launched additional drones to “finish off” survivors.

Meanwhile, a Russian drone strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa early Thursday killed two people and injured 15 others, according to Ukraine’s emergency services. Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said the barrage damaged several apartment buildings, private homes, a supermarket, and a school.

Kiper shared videos on Telegram showing a high-rise with a scorched facade, shattered storefronts, and firefighters battling flames.

In another attack, a drone ignited a fire at a petrol station in central Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

Following the wave of attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Russia’s continued aggression and rejection of peace efforts.

“There were also our proposals — at the very least, to refrain from striking civilian infrastructure and to establish lasting silence in the sky, at sea, and on land,” Zelenskyy said. “Russia has responded to all this with new shelling and new assaults.”

U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal Sealed

The violence came just hours after Ukraine and the United States signed a landmark agreement on Wednesday that grants the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical mineral wealth. The deal, months in the making, is seen as a step toward bolstering Kyiv’s long-term economic and defense ties with Washington amid concerns that former President Donald Trump might scale back U.S. aid if he returns to office.

Zelenskyy, who first proposed the concept last year, described the final agreement as “truly historic” and said it was the “first result” of his meeting with Trump at the Vatican during the funeral of Pope Francis.

“This is working together with America and on fair terms, when both the Ukrainian state and the United States, which help us in defense, can earn in partnership,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.

He clarified that the agreement includes no debts related to past U.S. military aid and emphasized that Ukraine would retain the ability to export to other countries as well. “This is a truly equal agreement,” he added.

Zelenskyy said the accord would be submitted to Ukraine’s parliament for ratification, and urged lawmakers not to delay the process. “Ukraine is interested in ensuring that there are no delays with the agreement.”

Public Reaction: Hope, Skepticism, and Cautio

While officials praised the minerals agreement as a geopolitical win, reactions among ordinary Ukrainians were mixed.

Tymofiy Mylovanov, former economy minister and current president of the Kyiv School of Economics, wrote on Facebook: “This is a huge political and diplomatic win for Ukraine. The deal looks fair.”

He noted that the agreement does not restrict Ukraine to selling only to the U.S., and acknowledged that both countries contribute: Ukraine through revenues from mineral projects and the U.S. potentially through ongoing military support.

However, many Kyiv residents expressed uncertainty about the deal’s terms. Diana Abramova, whose father went missing in combat, said: “Any news is hard to take — whether it’s about negotiations or anything else. But I still believe and hope that any action will bring us closer to one thing: Ukraine’s victory. Only victory.”

University lecturer Natalia Vysotska, 74, said, “I don’t know what the terms are — they may not be favorable for Ukraine at all. Still, if it was signed, our experts must have weighed the pros and cons. I hope it will be beneficial.”

Others voiced strong skepticism. Iryna Vasylevska, 37, said: “I feel terrible that our land is just a bargaining chip for the rest of the world and that we do not have our own full protection, but rely on someone.”

“My vision is that instead of strengthening ourselves, we continue to give it all away. I feel sorry for our land and for our people,” she added.

Moscow React

While initial reaction in Russia was muted due to a national holiday, some officials rebuked the deal.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s National Security Council, claimed on Telegram: “Now military supplies will have to be paid for with the national wealth of a disappearing country.”

Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the Russian Civic Chamber’s commission on sovereignty, told RIA Novosti that Ukraine had essentially been delivered into “legally prescribed slavery.”

Despite such rhetoric, the mineral agreement solidifies a deeper strategic link between Ukraine and the U.S., even as the path to peace remains uncertain.

“They’re still far apart. They’re closer, but they’re still far apart,” said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an appearance on Fox News Channel’s Hannity. “And it’s going to take a real breakthrough here very soon to make this possible, or I think the president is going to have to make a decision about how much more time we’re going to dedicate to this.”