At least 13 people lost their lives on Thursday as both Russian and Ukrainian forces carried out strikes against civilian areas in towns and cities, many situated along the front lines of a war now in its fifth year, local officials reported.
In Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a Russian guided bomb attack claimed three lives and left 15 others wounded, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov, who posted the update on Telegram. Video footage from Reuters TV captured firefighters battling the aftermath of fires while rescue crews picked through the wreckage of destroyed buildings. The city has faced an uptick in attacks in recent weeks.
The Black Sea port city of Odesa, another location that has repeatedly drawn Russian strikes, was hit by Russian missiles that killed two people, injured six more, and caused damage to civilian infrastructure.
Near the city of Kharkiv, close to the Russian border, a Russian drone strike took one life, according to national emergency services. Earlier that same day, a separate drone attack near the city of Kupiansk, located farther to the east, killed three people.
In the Donetsk region — the central focus of much of the fighting along the approximately 1,200-kilometer (775-mile) front line — the regional governor reported that one person was killed and five were injured near Kramatorsk, one of what officials have described as “fortress towns” where Ukrainian defenses have been strengthened.
Across the border inside Russia, officials in Belgorod Region reported that one person died after Ukrainian forces shelled a settlement near the border.
Additionally, Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Russian-controlled portions of the Donetsk region, stated that one person was killed in territory held by Russian forces.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the accounts provided by either side.
