Kyiv/Moscow/Oslo, Aug. 23 (SANA) Russia and Ukraine exchanged drone strikes and artillery fire across multiple regions over the weekend, as fighting intensifies and Western allies announced fresh military and humanitarian support for Kyiv.
In Ukraine’s Sumy region, two people were killed and six wounded in Russian shelling that hit 23 areas over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s regional military administration told Ukrainian news agencies.
Passenger train targeted in Odesa
Ukraine‘s state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia reported that a passenger train locomotive on the Zhytomyr–Odesa route was struck by a drone, damaging the locomotive and halting the train carrying 593 passengers, including 15 children.
The train was evacuated, and media reports noted this was the second attack on a train in the Odesa region this month.
Russian border regions hit
On the Russian side, the regional operations headquarters in Belgorod reported three people wounded, including a 17-year-old girl, in Ukrainian drone strikes on the villages of Krasnaya Yaruga, Grayvoron and Surkovo, with damage to homes, cars and commercial property.
Russian air defense systems intercepted 328 Ukrainian drones overnight over Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Crimea, and the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
Norway pledges $9.2 billion for 2027
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, visiting Kyiv, announced on Sunday that Norway intends to provide 85 billion Norwegian kroner ($9.2 billion) in additional support to Ukraine for the 2027 fiscal year—the same amount allocated for 2026.
“Supporting and rebuilding Ukraine is not just aid, but an investment in the security of Europe itself,” Støre said.
Zelenskyy warns against wartime elections
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned against holding elections in Ukraine before the war ends, saying that organizing them under current conditions could lead to internal division and pose a “huge risk” to national unity.
The announcements come as diplomatic efforts to end the war—now in its fifth year—remain stalled, with both sides showing no signs of backing down.
On Aug. 5, the European Commission allocated €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
Kh.A / Mzn
