Deadly Russian attack levels apartment building in Ukraine, killing at least 20: Officials

At least 20 people, including three children, were killed in a Russian strike that flattened an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Saturday, according to local officials.

Russia dropped multiple powerful glide bombs into a residential area, Zaporizhzhia’s military administration said. At least 16 others were injured. As rescuers continue to search for survivors, the death toll could still rise.

The attack came hours after President Donald Trump announced he had agreed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to lift sanctions on Russian diesel ahead of the U.S. mid-term elections.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the deal as “weak," saying the deadly strike in Zaporizhzhia underlined how any easing of sanctions pressure encourages Russia to keep fighting.

"Last night confirmed once again that in Russia, they take any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities. Different signals are needed. Russia must understand that it needs to stop the war, and for that to happen, Russia must feel its losses. Right now, it is our long-range capabilities that are ensuring this. And we will respond to Russian strikes," Zelenskyy said.

Trump has praised the diesel deal as a way to lower record diesel prices, although experts say the initial 300,000 tons promised by Putin is too small to meaningfully change prices.

The Trump administration has also pressed Ukraine to stop its strikes on Russian oil refineries which have collapsed Russian diesel exports.

Trump reiterated Saturday his frustration with Zelenskyy, telling reporters that Ukraine had better stop attacking Russian oil refineries and that he thinks its time for Ukraine to get a new president.

"I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason, he never does," Trump said.

It has been a particularly deadly week for civilians in Ukraine that saw more than 70 people killed in Russian strikes. Russia’s air campaign has dramatically escalated recently, as Putin’s forces have appeared to begin targeting civilian areas and infrastructure far more aggressively.

Aided by large numbers of jet-powered drones and Ukraine’s weakened air defenses, Russia is now striking major Ukrainian cities much more frequently.

On Thursday, at least 30 people were killed when a Russian strike hit near a passenger bus in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. Earlier this week, a missile brought down most of an apartment building in northern Ukraine killing more than 20.

Zelenskyy has said Putin has ordered his military to abandon the rules of war with Ukrainian officials warning Russia intends to target the civilian population this winter in the hopes of breaking Ukraine’s resistance.