KYIV/MOSCOW — Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight drone and missile attacks, killing at least five people in the Russian city of Belgorod and injuring at least eight in Ukraine’s Odesa region, according to officials on both sides.
In Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, a Ukrainian drone attack killed five people and wounded 25 others, including two children, Russian authorities said. The attack also sparked fires in two apartment buildings and damaged numerous residential and non-residential structures.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it had destroyed more than 150 Ukrainian drones over western Russia, Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, drone debris fell on two facilities and damaged three residential buildings, according to local authorities. One person was injured.
A Ukrainian drone also struck a building under construction and a crane in Ufa, in Russia's Bashkortostan region, Russian state media reported.
Meanwhile, Russian missiles and drones struck Ukraine's Odesa region overnight, injuring at least eight people and damaging homes and critical infrastructure, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
The heaviest damage was reported in the historic centre of Odesa, where fires broke out and several apartment buildings were damaged or partially destroyed. Emergency crews responded to the strikes as residents faced damage to homes and disruptions to essential services.
Most of those injured suffered shrapnel wounds, with seven reported to be in moderate condition, according to local authorities.
The attacks also damaged energy infrastructure, causing power outages in parts of Odesa and surrounding areas. Some communities experienced disruptions to water supplies and mobile communications.
The latest strikes underscore the continued threat to civilians as Russia and Ukraine intensify their long-range attacks, with residential areas and infrastructure repeatedly caught in the crossfire.
Both sides have increasingly relied on drones and missiles to strike targets far from the front lines, while claiming that their attacks are directed at military or strategic facilities.
