Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Dnipro regions, as well as the Black Sea port city of Odesa, resulted in the deaths of at least two civilians, according to regional officials on Saturday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attacks, stating that Russia deployed eight missiles and nearly 70 guided aerial bombs against communities and frontline positions throughout the day. He also highlighted Ukraine’s successful downing of 13 Shahed drones targeting the Kharkiv and Dnipro regions overnight.
Zelenskiy emphasised Russia’s lack of interest in peace, asserting that the country could only be compelled to leave Ukraine alone through force. He expressed hope for the success of an upcoming world peace summit in Switzerland, which Russia will not attend.
In response, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reported Moscow’s control over 547 sq km (211 sq miles) of territories in Ukraine this year, including areas in the eastern Donetsk region.
Oleh Syniehubov, governor of Kharkiv region, confirmed casualties from Russian shelling, including the death of a man in the village of Slobozhanske and an elderly woman in Kharkiv city.
A missile strike also caused a fire at a food factory in Kharkiv, injuring six employees.
In Odesa, three individuals were injured by a missile strike, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper.
Despite Ukrainian air defences successfully intercepting all 13 attack drones overnight, falling debris injured four people in Kharkiv and caused a fire in an office building, as reported by Syniehubov.Further attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region injured a woman and damaged infrastructure in Nikopol, near the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak. Two individuals were wounded in another overnight attack.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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