Russian strikes kill at least six in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Sumy regions
Russian strikes on eastern Ukraine killed at least six people overnight, local authorities said on Thursday, as Moscow reported shooting down hundreds of Ukrainian drones over its territory and the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Rescuers worked through the day to douse fires and clear debris in the eastern city of Balakliya, in the Kharkiv region, after Russian strikes on homes killed three people, authorities said on the Telegram messaging app. Vitalii Karabanov, head of the military administration in the front-line city, said the victims were two women and a man.
In the northern region of Sumy, three more people were killed overnight and at least 19 others wounded in Russian attacks on settlements, according to Ukrainian officials. Twelve people were wounded in the city of Sumy itself following an attack with guided aerial bombs, Ukrainian police said.
Separately, a drone attack on a van wounded six people in the southern region of Kherson, the regional administration said on Telegram. Two people were also wounded in a Russian attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the regional military administration.
Strikes on shipping and infrastructure
In Ukraine's Black Sea area, a Russian attack damaged a foreign-flagged ship loaded with wheat, killing a crew member and causing a fire, Oleh Kiper, Odesa regional governor, said. Ukraine's seaport administration identified the vessel as the Mera Queen, sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, and said it was hit late on Wednesday.
France 24 reported that Russia also struck two dry cargo vessels near Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa late on Wednesday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry, which said the vessels were transporting military goods.
For more than a month, Russia has been ramping up its efforts to strangle Ukraine's trade and export routes, launching near-daily attacks on the country's Black Sea ports, according to Al Jazeera.
Russian drone interceptions
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday that its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 605 Ukrainian aerial drones during the night over its territory and the annexed Crimean Peninsula. The ministry flagged attacks in the Tver region, about 180 kilometres northwest of Moscow, where local authorities reported a logistics centre belonging to the e-commerce giant Wildberries had been damaged, as reported by France 24.
Key claims
- At least three people were killed in the Kharkiv region and three in the Sumy region overnight, as reported by Al Jazeera and France 24.
- Rescuers worked to douse fires and clear debris in Balakliya after Russian strikes on homes killed three people, according to both outlets.
- At least 19 others were wounded in Russian attacks in the Sumy region, with 12 wounded in the city of Sumy, as reported by both outlets.
- A drone attack on a van wounded six people in the Kherson region, per both outlets.
- Russia intercepted 605 Ukrainian drones overnight, as reported by both outlets.
- A Russian attack damaged a foreign-flagged ship loaded with wheat, killing a crew member, as reported by Al Jazeera.
- Russia struck two dry cargo vessels near Odesa, which were transporting military goods, as reported by France 24.