A Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed at least one person, its mayor said early Saturday, while Moscow said it intercepted dozens of Ukrainian drones.

“Odesa was attacked by enemy strike drones – more than 20 UAVs approached the city from different directions,” Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov wrote on Telegram.

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“Civilian infrastructure was damaged as a result of the attack. A residential high-rise building is on fire,” and rescuers were pulling people out, he said.

“As of now, it has been confirmed that one person died,” he added.

The Odesa region’s emergency service said later that five people were rescued from burning apartments but “one rescued woman died.”

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Photo: Gennadiy Trukhanov, Telegram

The Black Sea port, known for its picturesque streets of 19th-century buildings, has been regularly targeted by Russian strikes in the more than three-year war. The southern city’s historic center is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The Russian defense ministry, meanwhile, said its air defense systems destroyed 87 Ukrainian drones in a 5-hour period Friday evening, including 48 over the Bryansk region bordering northern Ukraine, and 5 over the Moscow region.

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Russia has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over recent weeks, defying US President Donald Trump’s warning that Moscow could face massive new sanctions if no peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian authorities said Friday that Russian strikes killed at least six people across the country’s east and south.

The European Union and Britain on Friday sought to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to halt the war by slashing a price cap meant to choke off revenues from key oil exports.

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The move from the EU was part of a sweeping new package of sanctions that also took aim at Moscow’s banking sector and military capabilities.

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WASHINGTON DC – Paul Goble, a former State Department special adviser and ex-CIA analyst, warns that US President Donald Trump’s recent 50-day ultimatum to Russia regarding a peace deal with Ukraine, coupled with the threat of sanctions, may backfire.

Goble suggests the move could inadvertently embolden the Kremlin, giving it relatively free hands for the next seven weeks to act rather than pressuring it towards peace.

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In an interview with Kyiv Post, Goble expressed grave concerns, stating that the Russians “don’t take this kind of ultimatum seriously.” He highlighted a historical pattern of past deadlines set by Trump that have been disregarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that the Kremlin views such pronouncements as mere posturing.

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“I think the Russians don’t like the idea that the Americans think they can give them a deadline,” Goble emphasized, “but they are smart enough to realize that what the Americans have done is simply say we’re going to look away for seven weeks, and the Russians will then do what they want.” This interpretation, he warns, poses a “very serious problem for Ukraine.”

The timing of Trump’s deadline is particularly perilous, according to Goble. Coming in mid-July, it coincides with the “prime time for military advance” for Russian forces, as the ground is dry enough for significant troop and tank movements.

Other Topics of Interest Macron To Raise French Defence Targets, Citing Russia Threat French officials say its defense efforts must increase in the face of a menacing Russia and a potential Trump administration disengagement from Europe.

“The 50-day limit has come at a time when Russians in the next seven weeks, which is to say taking us the rest of July through August into early September, is the prime time for military advance,” he explained. “The Russians understand that, and that’s how they read what was done.”

Goble’s analysis of Russian commentaries suggests that the Kremlin perceives itself as “winning” and views this 50-day period as “another victory.” He fears that Russia will exploit this window to inflict as much damage as possible on Ukraine.

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“For seven weeks, they can behave as bad as they want, and while Trump has said he might cut 50 days to some shorter period, he probably won’t,” Goble stated. “And the Russians will do as much damage as they can to Ukraine.”

The next 46 days: a grim outlook

When asked about his expectations for the remaining 46 days of this period, Goble painted a bleak picture. He anticipates “more advances, territorial advances in the eastern efforts,” and a significant increase in Russian targeting of civilian areas.

“I think we’re going to see a lot more Russian targeting of civilian targets in the cities, not just military targets, but civilian targets,” he predicted. “I would expect deaths and injuries from Russian drone and missile attacks in the major cities will increase.”

Beyond the eastern front, Goble expressed a particular concern about a potential Russian thrust towards Odesa. “Given what we know about Russian strategic goals, I would expect to see a Russian thrust in the direction of Odesa, because Putin writers have been suggesting for some time that if we can reduce Ukraine to a landlocked country without a port on the Black Sea, we can gradually strangle it, even if we get a ‘peace’ out,” he detailed.

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“I would expect to see a major Russian trust toward Odesa sometime in the next 46 days,” Goble added.

Should Odesa fall, Goble warned, Ukraine’s “ability to function” would be in “big trouble.”