Russia, Ukraine exchange overnight strikes; at least 7 killed, dozens injured
Ukrainian drones hit Russia's Belgorod region while Russian missiles and drones struck Kharkiv and Odesa, with casualties reported on both sides
Russia and Ukraine exchanged a fresh wave of overnight strikes, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens on both sides, as Ukrainian drones targeted Russia's Belgorod region and Russian missiles struck residential areas in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Odesa.
Five people were killed and around two dozen injured in Belgorod, according to Russian authorities cited by The Associated Press. 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, while eight people were injured in 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 also came under attack, with regional authorities saying "dozens of missiles and drones" struck the city and surrounding areas.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its overnight strikes targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure, including drone storage facilities in the Kharkiv region and fuel depots and other military supplies at the port of Odesa.
The ministry also said Russian air defences shot down 153 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
In Russia's Belgorod region, authorities said Ukrainian drone attacks killed five people and injured about 24 others. The strikes damaged 29 apartment buildings and five private houses, as well as administrative and commercial facilities.
The latest attacks come as both sides increasingly target areas far from the frontline. Russia has intensified missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has expanded its use of long-range drones against infrastructure and military-linked targets inside Russia.
The strikes have also highlighted Ukraine's continuing shortage of air-defence systems, particularly US-made Patriot systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed to the United States and other countries to provide additional Patriot systems as Kyiv seeks to strengthen its defences against Russia's increasingly frequent missile barrages.