Southern Ukraine endures devastation as Russian aerial strikes, involving drones and missiles, result in a fatality and numerous injuries.

In the past few weeks, tensions between Russia and Ukraine have continued to escalate, resulting in a series of attacks and counter-attacks. Here's a summary of some of the key events that have taken place:

Last weekend, a five-story residential building in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine was struck by an attack, killing at least one civilian and wounding 28 people, including children. Meanwhile, a fire was sparked at a refinery in the city of Krasnodar due to falling drone debris, damaging one processing unit but causing no casualties.

These attacks came less than two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump met Russia's Vladimir Putin for a summit in Alaska. Since then, Moscow's forces have been waging a "nonstop" offensive along almost the whole 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line in Ukraine. Russia launched a large aerial attack on southern Ukraine on Saturday.

Ukrainian forces have been able to shoot down or neutralize 510 drones and decoys and 38 missiles. In response, they have continued to strike Russian oil refineries, allegedly supplying Moscow's war effort, with two facilities hit overnight in the Krasnodar region and the Samara region. A separate drone strike caused a fire at the Syzran Oil Refinery in the Samara province.

The attacks have led to a shortage of gasoline in some regions of Russia, causing motorists to wait in long lines and officials to resort to rationing or cutting off sales altogether. In an attempt to ease the shortage, Russia has paused gasoline exports and declared a full ban until Sept. 30, with a partial ban affecting traders and intermediaries until Oct. 31.

The United States has approved an $825 million arms sale to Ukraine, which will include extended-range missiles and related equipment. During a summit of EU foreign and defense ministers in Copenhagen, discussions were held on sanctions on Russia, defense supplies to Kyiv, postwar security guarantees, and Ukraine's prospects for joining the EU.

There has been disagreement within the EU about confiscating assets to pay for the damages caused by Russia. Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated that Russia should pay for damages, but Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot opposed the confiscation of assets, stating it would trigger financial instability and erode trust in the euro.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed frustration with what he called Russia's lack of constructive engagement. In a tragic incident, Ukraine's former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in the city of Lviv. The motive behind the assassination is still unclear, but Parubiy was a prominent critic of Russia and had been on Moscow’s wanted list.

Despite the air attack on Kyiv, the Kremlin stated that Russia remains interested in continuing peace talks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke in Estonia, expressing that Putin should pay for his actions. Moscow's forces have taken more than 3,500 square kilometers (1,351 square miles) of Ukrainian territory and captured 149 settlements since March.

These events highlight the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine and the need for diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.

Southern Ukraine endures devastation as Russian aerial strikes, involving drones and missiles, result in a fatality and numerous injuries.