Russia-Ukraine war escalates as drone strikes leave deadly trail on both sides

A fresh wave of violence has swept across the Russia-Ukraine battlefield, leaving at least 22 people dead as both sides traded attacks, with civilian areas once again caught in the crossfire, the Al Jazeera reported.

In Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, seven people, including three children, were killed after drone debris crashed into the resort village of Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said. Nearly 40 others were wounded in the attack, which authorities described as one of the deadliest recent strikes on the region.

The toll also climbed in Moscow-occupied Crimea, where Russia-appointed officials reported four deaths and two injuries following attacks on the peninsula. In the border region of Belgorod, acting Governor Alexander Shuvaev said four civilians were killed and 17 others injured in separate incidents.

Across the border in Ukraine, Russian strikes continued to leave a trail of destruction. In the Kryvyi Rih district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, three people, including an emergency responder and his eight-year-old son, were killed after a Russian attack ignited a fire at a petrol station, damaging the facility and nearby vehicles.

Another overnight assault on Zaporizhzhia claimed eight lives, including those of two children, according to Ukrainian officials.

While both Moscow and Kyiv deny deliberately targeting civilians, the rising civilian death toll in recent months has underscored the growing human cost of the prolonged conflict.

Amid the escalating exchanges, Russia’s defence ministry announced that its forces had seized the settlements of Bilyi Kolodiaz and Uspenivka in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, claiming further battlefield gains.

Ukraine, meanwhile, carried out another strike inside Russia, targeting a warehouse belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries in the Vladimir region. The drone attack on the facility came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the company of supporting Russia’s war effort.

Investigations cited by Ukrainian officials have alleged that Wildberries has sold so-called dual-use goods, including protective equipment, military-related supplies and components that can be used in drone technology.

The latest escalation comes days after Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump at the White House, calling the talks "good" while seeking greater American support for Ukraine’s air defences. However, hopes for expanded US military assistance have faced uncertainty after Trump appeared to soften his earlier commitment to allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.

As missiles and drones continue to darken the skies over both nations, the war shows little sign of easing, with civilians bearing the heaviest burden of a conflict that has entered another dangerous phase.