Russian authorities say at least five people were killed in Ukrainian strikes on Kursk. The defense ministry said six Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, including on the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
At least 11 people were killed in Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, as rescuers in the town of Dnipro dig through rubble after an attack destroyed a nine-story residential building, leaving a dead.
The attacks came as Russia continues to stretch Ukrainian troops into several areas along the 1,000-kilometer front line.
Moscow has stepped up airstrikes in an attempt to drain Ukraine’s resources, often targeting energy facilities and other vital infrastructure.
In a message posted on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said seven people had been killed in missile strikes on the city of Vilnyansk, outside the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
“Our cities and communities are suffering every day from these Russian strikes,” posted Mr. Zelensky.
“But there are ways to fix it: destroy terrorists where they are, eliminate Russian missile launchers, strike them with long-range weapons and increase the number of modern air defense systems in Ukraine. Thank you all our partners who help us”.
Ukraine’s president reiterated his call for allies to provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons and strengthened air defenses to stop what he said were daily attacks on his country.
“Today the enemy carried out yet another appalling terrorist act against the civilian population”Zaporizhzhia region governor Ivan Fedorov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.
The attack occurred “in the middle of the day, on a non-working day, in the city center, where people were relaxing and there were no military targets”he added.
Separately, the governor of the frontline village of Niu-York in Donetsk said Russian forces had shelled populated areas 13 times in the past 24 hours.
Ukraine’s air force said Saturday it had shot down 10 Russian drones launched in nighttime attacks.
“That is why we constantly remind all our partners that only a sufficient number of high-quality air defense systems and sufficient determination on the part of the entire world can put an end to Russian terrorism,” Mr Zelensky insisted.
Ukrainian strikes on Russia
For their part, Russian authorities reported Ukrainian attacks in the Kursk region, which left five people dead. Two children were among the victims of the attack in the village of Gorodishche on the Russian-Ukrainian border, Governor Alexey Smirnov said on social media.
In its morning statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that six Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over the Tver, Bryansk and Belgorod regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The Ukrainian government also reacted Saturday to a statement by the Belarusian military saying it had increased its forces along Ukraine’s northern border in response to what it described as security threats.
The announcement came after Belarus’ border agency said its troops had shot down a Ukrainian drone that crossed the border to gather intelligence.
Kyiv has rejected the accusations, calling them Russian propaganda.
