Russian strike on Kyiv region kills 4 people and wounds 15 as peace talks are stalled

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A combined Russian missile and drone attack on the Kyiv region killed at least four people and wounded 15, a Ukrainian official said Saturday, after the United States postponed Russia-Ukraine talks due to the war with Iran.

The attack hit four districts, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, enterprises and critical infrastructure, the head of the regional administration, Mykola Kalashnyk, wrote in a social media post. He said three of the wounded were in critical condition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the main target of the strikes was the energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region. He said Russia launched around 430 drones and 68 missiles.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday said the nighttime strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities serving Ukraine's armed forces, as well as military airfields.

The U.S. has postponed its sponsored talks planned this week between the two sides due to the war in the Middle East.

As U.S. and Israeli missiles and bombs rain on Iran, Russia has responded with words of indignation but no action to support its ally. Moscow’s failure to help another ally, after the 2024 ouster of former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and January’s U.S. arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, highlighted the limits of its influence.

Still, the Kremlin expects to reap benefits from the Iran war.

Russia is already profiting from a surge in global energy prices, and could hope that the Mideast war will detract attention from Ukraine, deplete Western arsenals and force NATO allies to reduce military support for Kyiv.

Zelenskyy on Saturday called on Kyiv's Western partners to pay “one hundred percent attention” to the need to boost the production of air defense missiles.

“Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine," he said in a post on social media.

"We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defense missiles — especially those capable of countering ballistic threats — as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives,” he said.

Kyiv is also awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Ukraine last year, Zelenskyy said Thursday, as countries scramble to modernize their air defenses after the Iran war exposed shortcomings.

Also on Thursday, Zelenskyy criticized the 30-day U.S. waiver on Russian oil sanctions because of the war in the Middle East, saying it is “not the right decision” and won’t help bring a stop to Russia’s more than four-year, all-out war on Ukraine.

“This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war,” Zelenskyy said. “This certainly does not help peace.”

Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery and port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.

Krasnodar authorities said three people were hurt in a strike on Port Kavkaz, opposite Crimea, which is used to ship liquefied natural gas and grains. A service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, officials said, adding that one person was hospitalized.

Falling drone debris also sparked a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, authorities said in a Telegram post. They said no one was hurt, but did not immediately comment on damage.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ukraine's General Staff said both the refinery and port are used to supply Moscow's armed forces. It added it was assessing the impact of the strikes.

Among the Afipsky refinery's products are diesel fuels and natural gasoline that can be used to make jet fuel or petrol. It was targeted by Ukrainian drones before, including in January and November.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 87 Ukrainian drones during the night, including 16 over the Krasnodar region and 31 over the nearby Sea of Azov.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that as of late afternoon, 31 drones had been downed on the approach to the Russian capital on Saturday. Russia's aviation authorities brought in temporary flight restrictions at three of Moscow's international airports - Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky.

Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials both claimed front-line progress, with Ukraine saying it pushed Moscow’s forces back across places on the front line and the Kremlin insisting Russia’s invasion of its neighbor is making progress.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Shrapnel holes cover the wall of the damaged railway workshops, following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Shrapnel holes cover the glass of a damaged bus near railway workshops, following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Firefighters put out the fire at railway workshops following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Firefighters put out the fire at railway workshops following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Firefighters put out the fire at a residential neighbourhood following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint presser with France's President Emmanuel Macron, not pictured, following a bilateral meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Friday March 13, 2026. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two U.S. Army soldiers have been injured after encountering a brown bear in a mountainous training area in Anchorage, the military said Friday.

The incident happened Thursday as the soldiers were participating in a “land navigation training event” in Arctic Valley, part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s training area.

The soldiers were receiving medical care as of Friday, a military official told the Anchorage Daily News. Messages sent to base spokespersons were not immediately returned to The Associated Press on Friday.

The soldiers’ conditions were not released pending notification of relatives.

Both soldiers used pepper spray on the bear, the official said. Few other details were available about the incident because it was still under investigation.

“The safety and well-being of our personnel is our highest priority,” Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division, said in an email to the Anchorage Daily News.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is investigating what it says appears to have been “a defensive attack" by a bear that had recently emerged from a den. The area near where the incident occurred has been closed to recreational activity by base officials, the department said.

Samples were collected by investigators with the aim of positively identifying the species and gender of bear involved, the department said.

The base encompasses 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) within the Municipality of Anchorage, where up to 350 black bears and 75 brown bears roam freely.

FILE - A sign marks the entrance to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen,File)