Russian strikes kill 2 Ukrainian civilians as Moscow and Kyiv threaten to raise the stakes

While the Kyiv and Odesa regions bore the brunt of Moscow's latest strikes, KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian aerial attacks overnight and during daylight Wednesday killed two civilians and wounded six in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, local authorities stated.

What happened

In practice, the air war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified as the conflict stretches into its fifth year after Moscow's invasion of its neighbor. The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine remains largely deadlocked, and U.S. Efforts to negotiate a settlement have yet to produce a path to peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy exchanged threats late Tuesday over what their next steps might be.

Zelenskyy cautioned foreign airlines that flying in Russia is not safe as of Ukrainian long-range drone attacks, saying that "Russian airspace will effectively be closing." The military pressure intends to compel Russia to accept peace negotiations, he remarked.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around russian strikes kill 2 Ukrainian civilians as Moscow and Kyiv threaten to point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.