Russian glide bombs struck residential buildings in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday morning, killing at least 15 people and possibly more than 20, according to Ukrainian officials. Reported death tolls varied as rescue work continued: early figures spoke of 15 and 17 dead, including three children, while the latest official count cited at least 20 dead, among them four children, and at least 32 injured. More people are missing and believed to be trapped under rubble.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used five glide bombs, which are Soviet-era-style munitions fitted with wings or guidance kits that allow them to be dropped from aircraft at a distance. Footage from one site shows an apartment block largely destroyed. Acting Mayor Regina Harchenko said the ground floor was hit and the floors above collapsed. More than 80 workers were involved in search and rescue, regularly pausing to listen for sounds from survivors. She said Russia had struck at the city's "very heart" and that "our littlest ones" were among the dead.

Zelensky linked the attack to a deal announced by US President Donald Trump a day earlier that eases sanctions on Russian diesel exports. He said Russia had in effect expressed "its thanks" and that 13 other regions had also come under attack overnight. He argued Russia reads any easing of pressure as a sign it can keep fighting, and called the deal a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Analysts see the move as an effort to ease high fuel prices ahead of US midterm elections in November. Diesel prices rose sharply after the US and Israel began their war against Iran, which largely halted oil trade from the Middle East.

Zaporizhzhia, in south-eastern Ukraine, is a major regional centre with more than 700,000 residents. It lies less than 10 miles (16km) from the front line and is frequently hit by Russian drones and missiles. The region also hosts Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which was targeted by drones in August; the International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation levels stayed normal and called any attack on nuclear plants unacceptable.

The strike comes amid intensifying violence. On Thursday at least 33 people died when a glide bomb hit two civilian buses in Kramatorsk, in the eastern Donetsk region, and a day earlier 22 people, including five children, were killed by a missile in Pryluky, east of Kyiv. The UN says civilian casualties in Ukraine rose 55% in the first eight months of this year. Russia is also stepping up attacks on energy infrastructure as winter nears, as in previous years; Kyiv accuses Moscow of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies. Ukraine, for its part, has struck Russian infrastructure, including oil refineries and data centres owned by the technology company Yandex, saying this aims to cut revenue for Russia's war effort. Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.