(MENAFN) Two civilians were killed and 21 others injured in a Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Yenakievo on Thursday, according to Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The attack reportedly involved US-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers and kamikaze drones, damaging nine homes in Yenakievo and nearby Gorlovka.

Yenakievo, once near the front line, was secured by Russian forces following the liberation of Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk) in February. The DPR, which declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 and later voted to join Russia in 2022, has called for Ukrainian troop withdrawals from western parts of the region as a condition for a ceasefire. Kiev has rejected any territorial concessions.

Recent diplomatic efforts include a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, followed by Trump hosting Ukrainian President Zelensky alongside Western European and NATO leaders to discuss potential peace initiatives. Russia has proposed elevating its delegation level in talks, while Trump continues to advocate for a direct Putin-Zelensky meeting.

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