Russian attacks have killed four people in Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv intensify long-range strikes, with casualties reported in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy, Ukrainian officials said.
Two women died after being trapped beneath the rubble of a destroyed home in Zaporizhzhia, according to the region’s military administration. A separate Russian attack on the city of Sumy killed two more people, local officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said residential areas in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, along with parts of the Odesa, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, had come under attack.
“It is essential that our partners not forget: Russia is escalating every single day. If the Russians have chosen to make their strikes even more brutal, the world must choose stronger responses to keep the war from spreading further,” Mr Zelenskiy wrote.
Russia has used cruise and ballistic missiles, glide bombs and jet-powered drones in its attacks, as progress along the frontline has slowed more than four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.
Overnight strikes also injured four people in Kyiv and damaged residential and office buildings, officials said. A Russian drone attack caused a fire at a warehouse in the Boryspil district of the Kyiv region, injuring two others.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its attack on Kyiv damaged a data centre supporting mobile internet services and Starlink satellite communications. The claim was not independently verified in the material available.
Ukrainian drones target southern Russia
Ukraine has continued to use long-range drones against Russian oil refineries and businesses. A Ukrainian attack in the southern Krasnodar region killed three people and wounded two, according to local officials.
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the attack started fires at two industrial sites, without providing further details. Russian media later reported that an oil refinery had been targeted.
Mr Zelenskiy used an appeal to the United Nations this week to urge countries to reduce Russia’s revenue through sanctions and trade bans, arguing that Moscow needs the money to prolong the war. Despite years of diplomatic efforts, there has been no sign of a breakthrough towards ending the conflict.
