Russian and Ukrainian authorities reported deadly attacks on cities and infrastructure on Thursday as Moscow and Kiev continued to target each other amid escalating hostilities.
In Ukraine, a Russian missile attack on the northern city of Pryluky killed 22 people, including five children, and wounded more than 50, Chernihiv Governor Vyacheslav Chaus said on Thursday.
“Twenty-two people died in Pryluky. Among them were five children. Four died at the impact site, and one child died in the hospital,” Chaus said in a statement on Telegram.
Chaus also said a Russian strike hit the regional capital of Chernihiv on Wednesday, setting fire to a three-storey building. Ukraine’s Air Force said its air defences had shot down 117 of 130 strike drones and at least 44 ballistic and cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian Kh-101 missile had struck a residential building in Pryluky, renewing calls for additional air defence systems and ammunition.
“The threat is there every day, and every day, our air defence batteries need to have missiles ready,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kiev was counting on prompt deliveries and sufficient production by its partners.
A separate Russian strike on two passenger buses in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk has killed 30 people and wounded 18, local authorities said on Thursday.
The Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office said the death toll from the morning attack had risen to 30. The regional governor’s office confirmed the same toll and said public transport had been suspended.
Ukrainian drone attacks reported in Russia
Meanwhile, Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack on the southern port city of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar region killed four people, including a child, and wounded 29 others. Three of the injured were in serious condition, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.
Kondratyev accused Ukraine of targeting civilians, saying damage was reported to three private homes, five apartment buildings, a church and a kindergarten.
Drone debris also damaged homes and a kindergarten in the nearby town of Anapa, though no casualties were reported there.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its air defences had shot down 596 Ukrainian drones over 11 regions, as well as over the Black Sea and Ukraine’s Russian-annexed Crimea region.
Ukraine’s General Staff said it had struck the Novorossiysk naval base overnight, causing fires at the base and at an oil terminal in the city’s seaport. It described the base as an important hub for the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s ship basing, maintenance and logistical support. The claim could not be independently verified.
Fire sparked at Yandex data centre
A separate drone strike also sparked a fire at a data centre operated by Russian technology company Yandex in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region, Russian state media TASS reported.
Yandex said the attack damaged part of its infrastructure, forcing it to suspend operations at the facility and potentially disrupting some services. The company reported no injuries.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said two drones had been shot down over the region overnight, adding that a fire broke out at a local enterprise and windows were blown out in several private homes.
Moscow and Kiev have increasingly targeted each other’s logistics centres, ports and energy infrastructure in recent months.
Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, saying their attacks are directed at military targets or facilities linked to military activities.
