Friday's Kyiv toll: An-Nahar says seven dead, Libération counts four from one drone attack

The count. An-Nahar cites local officials: strikes by both sides killed at least 11 people on Saturday. It is the only report we hold that adds up the dead on both sides of the front.

Kyiv, Friday. Two reports give a figure, and they differ.

The four may be part of the seven. Neither report says.

Who struck. Every headline names a side. Ukrainska Pravda says "росіяни вбили" ("the Russians killed"). Ukrinform says "Russian forces strike". Life.ru says "ВСУ ударили" ("the Ukrainian armed forces struck"). An-Nahar's text names Ukraine for the Belgorod strike. It names no attacker for Friday's strike on Kyiv or for Saturday's drone hit on a Kyiv apartment block.

The dead. No report we hold names anyone who was killed. Ukrainska Pravda gives ages: a girl of 17 and a woman killed in Dnipropetrovsk region, and a boy of 6 among the wounded.

What is not settled - Whether Kyiv lost seven people on Friday or four, or whether each count is right for something different. - The day's full toll. An-Nahar's 11 leaves out the two dead that Ukrainska Pravda reports in Dnipropetrovsk region. - Whether Russia is targeting Kyiv's data centres on purpose. Only Libération reports that pattern. - What the Ukrainian statement about the "destruction of Kyiv" said. We hold only RIA Novosti's headline.

This story is about one day of long-range strikes in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and about how differently outlets in each country report it.

How it got here. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The same year it backed armed separatists in the eastern Donbas region. On 24 February 2022 it launched a full-scale invasion. In September 2022 Moscow declared four Ukrainian regions part of Russia, Zaporizhzhia among them. Most of the world does not recognise the move, and Russian forces hold only part of those regions. The city of Zaporizhzhia is still under Kyiv's control. Much of the surrounding region is under Russian occupation and run by officials Moscow appointed.

How the war is fought from the air. Since the invasion, Russia has struck Ukrainian cities, power plants and other infrastructure with missiles and drones. Ukraine hits back with its own long-range drones. It strikes targets inside Russia, including oil refineries and military supply sites, and targets in Russian-held Ukrainian territory. The Russian regions on the border, such as Belgorod and Bryansk, are hit most often. Both governments say they strike military targets. Each accuses the other of hitting civilians.

The actors. President Volodymyr Zelensky leads Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin leads Russia. Regional officials on both sides publish the first casualty counts, including the officials Moscow appointed in occupied land. Most outlets repeat those counts.

What is at stake. Civilian lives on both sides, and whether talks to end the war can restart. An-Nahar reports that on Friday Putin signalled he would not resume peace negotiations for now. He pointed to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia on 20 September, the last day of Russia's legislative elections.

Where it stands. An-Nahar says both sides have stepped up their strikes in recent months. None of the reports we hold points to a pause.