At least five people have been killed and dozens more injured in a fresh wave of Russian and Ukrainian strikes, as the conflict continues to intensify with both sides increasingly targeting locations far from the front lines.
Russian attacks killed two people and wounded dozens across Ukraine overnight Saturday and into Sunday, while a Ukrainian drone strike killed three people in Russia’s western Belgorod region, according to officials on both sides.
The latest attacks come more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with long-range missile and drone strikes becoming an increasingly prominent feature of the conflict and causing mounting civilian casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using what he described as “ballistic terror” against civilian areas. He said Russia had fired 61 missiles of various types at Ukraine during the week and called for stronger international pressure on Moscow.
“More pressure, more sanctions against Russia and more air defence for Ukraine are needed,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media.
In the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, two people were killed in a Russian drone strike that also destroyed four floors of a residential building, according to Zelensky.
Regional Governor Oleg Synegoubov said 23 people were injured in the attack. Images released by him showed a heavily damaged building, with emergency responders working through the debris.
Another Russian strike on the southern port city of Odesa injured eight people and damaged parts of the power grid, the port and residential buildings, Zelensky said.
He also condemned what he described as an “absolutely brutal” Russian attack on energy infrastructure near a shopping centre in Pavlohrad, in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Nine people, including four children, were reportedly injured.
Images circulated on social media showed buildings apparently engulfed in flames in what appeared to be a commercial area, although the footage could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Russia reported casualties from a Ukrainian drone attack in Belgorod, a border region frequently targeted during the conflict.
Acting regional Governor Alexander Shuvaev said three people were killed and 25 others injured, including children aged four and nine.
He said the attack also sparked fires involving several vehicles, two apartment buildings and a house.
Russian media released footage showing an apartment building apparently engulfed in flames at night as residents watched from across the street.
The latest violence comes as diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled. The United Nations has warned that the conflict continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians, with casualties increasing as Russian and Ukrainian forces intensify attacks using drones and long-range missiles.
