Russia and Ukraine exchanged a fresh wave of overnight strikes, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens on both sides
Russia and Ukraine exchanged a fresh wave of overnight strikes, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens on both sides.
Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s border region of Belgorod, while Russian missiles hit residential areas in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Odesa.
Five people were killed in Belgorod, including in Ukrainian drone attacks, while around two dozen others were injured, according to an AP report. A four-year-old boy was among those injured. In Ukraine, Russian missile strikes killed two people in Kharkiv and wounded at least 13 others.
The latest attacks come as both sides continue to target areas far from the frontline. Russia has stepped up missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has increasingly relied on long-range drones to hit infrastructure and military-linked targets inside Russia.
Russian missiles hit Kharkiv and Odesa
A Russian missile struck a high-rise apartment building in Kharkiv’s Saltivskyi district, killing two people and injuring 13, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
The Black Sea port city of Odesa was also targeted. Regional authorities said “dozens of missiles and drones” struck the city and surrounding areas, injuring eight people.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its overnight attacks targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure. It claimed that Russian forces struck drone storage facilities in the Kharkiv region and fuel depots and other military supplies at the port of Odesa.
The ministry also claimed that Russian air defences shot down 153 Ukrainian drones during the night, including drones over Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.
Belgorod suffers Ukrainian drone attacks
On the Russian side of the border, Belgorod region came under a series of Ukrainian drone attacks.
Regional authorities said five people were killed and around 24 others injured. The attacks damaged 29 apartment buildings and five private houses, along with administrative and commercial facilities.
The strikes underline Ukraine’s growing use of long-range drones to target locations inside Russia, including energy infrastructure and other economically important facilities.
Kyiv has previously targeted Russian energy facilities and other sites deep inside the country as part of its strategy of putting pressure on Moscow beyond the battlefield.
Ukraine seeks more air defence
The latest Russian strikes have also highlighted Ukraine’s continuing shortage of air-defence systems, particularly US-made Patriot systems that can intercept ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed to the United States and other countries for additional Patriot systems. The availability of the systems has become more limited amid the wider demand for air-defence equipment.
Zelenskyy has also pushed for Ukraine to produce Patriot ammunition domestically or secure other ways to improve its ability to intercept Russian missiles.
At the same time, Kyiv has continued its long-range drone campaign against Russian targets.
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