Russian strikes kill at least 11 including children in Zaporizhzhia after U.S. diesel deal

Russian aerial strikes on Zaporizhzhia killed at least 11 people, including three children, and wounded more than a dozen on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Ukrainian officials reported that glide bombs struck multi-story residential buildings. Rescue workers pulled survivors from the rubble. One five-story building sustained heavy damage. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack came as Russia’s response to the U.S. decision to allow Russian diesel exports.

The strikes followed President Trump’s announcement the previous day of a deal with President Putin for Russia to supply diesel fuel. Zelensky wrote that Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia. He said any easing of pressure is taken in Moscow as permission to continue the war. Large-scale power outages also hit Kyiv on the same day.

Earlier reports on Friday and Saturday listed varying death tolls as information came in. Some accounts put the total for the broader wave of strikes since Thursday above 30. The Zaporizhzhia incident formed part of that wave. Ukrainian emergency services confirmed the child fatalities. The city has faced repeated Russian attacks throughout the war that began in 2022.

The timing coincides with stalled peace talks. Ukrainian negotiators were in Miami when the diesel deal was announced. Russian officials said no immediate resumption of negotiations would occur. Zelensky has accused Washington of using the Ukrainian delegation as a smokescreen. European leaders reiterated support for Kyiv after the strikes.

Russian forces have used glide bombs extensively against Ukrainian cities. The weapons are released from aircraft outside the range of many air defenses and glide to their targets. Zaporizhzhia Oblast has seen both front-line fighting and strikes on civilian areas. The residential building hit on Saturday was not a military site according to Ukrainian reports.

Power infrastructure remains a frequent target. Kyiv’s largest private energy provider reported large outages after the latest attacks. Repair crews face repeated damage. The combination of energy strikes and civilian casualties continues while diplomatic efforts remain frozen after the diesel agreement.

The death toll in Zaporizhzhia stands as one of the higher single-incident figures reported in recent weeks. Ukrainian authorities continue to document the damage and identify the dead. The strikes reinforce Zelensky’s public argument that revenue from energy sales will lengthen the conflict rather than create space for talks.