Russian strikes kill six across Ukraine as attacks hit Kyiv and Chernihiv

At least six people were killed and dozens injured in Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine on Sunday, as both Kyiv and Moscow reported fresh civilian casualties amid an intensifying conflict that has shown little sign of easing.

Ukraine's Air Force was quoted by the Al Jazeera as saying that Russia launched seven ballistic missiles and 136 drones overnight, targeting several regions, including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

One of the deadliest strikes hit the northern city of Chernihiv, where a Russian drone struck a supermarket, killing two people, including a nine-year-old girl, and injuring 25 others, according to local officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, describing it as a "deeply cynical" strike on a civilian target and accusing Russia of deliberately targeting non-military sites.

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, one person was killed and 16 others required medical treatment after a daytime drone attack, local authorities said. Another person was killed and six injured in a Russian glide bomb strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, according to regional officials.

The capital, Kyiv, also came under ballistic missile attack overnight. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three people were injured after debris sparked a fire on the upper floors of a residential apartment building. Images released by emergency services showed burning vehicles and damaged property.

In the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine's state-owned energy company Naftogaz said two of its employees were killed while assisting residents affected by an earlier Russian strike in Sloviansk.

Russia, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of carrying out deadly drone attacks in territory under Moscow's control. Officials in Horlivka, a Russian-occupied city in the Donetsk region, said four civilians were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike. Local authorities later reported that another drone hit an emergency vehicle, injuring three medics and a civilian.

Russian officials also said at least 12 people, including two children, were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on the border city of Belgorod.

The latest exchanges came a day after Moscow claimed a Ukrainian strike on a Russian-held town along the Sea of Azov had killed 12 people.

Both Russia and Ukraine continue to deny deliberately targeting civilians. However, the United Nations says civilian casualties have risen sharply on both sides in 2026 as the conflict increasingly relies on drones, glide bombs and strikes on civilian infrastructure.

According to UN figures, 1,396 civilians have been killed and 7,978 injured in Ukraine during the first six months of this year. In Russia, the organisation has recorded 250 civilian deaths and 1,596 injuries over the same period.

Efforts led by the United States to broker a ceasefire have made little progress, while fighting continues across large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, much of which remains under Russian occupation.