At least 16 people were killed in Russian and Ukrainian strikes over a 24-hour period, according to authorities in both countries, as the war continues into its fifth year. The latest attacks came amid renewed military escalation following what officials described as the deadliest summer of the conflict since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russian Strikes Kill Six in Ukraine
Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks killed at least six people in the northeastern Sumy region, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk. A 17-year-old girl was among those killed in Dnipropetrovsk, according to Ukrainian officials.
Several people were also wounded in Kyiv, a day after a Russian daytime strike on the capital killed seven people. Ukrainian authorities said Russia has intensified attacks on Kyiv as Ukraine prepares for another winter of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was “escalating every single day” as the latest attacks continued.
Ukrainian Strikes Kill People in Russia and Occupied Areas
Russian authorities said Ukrainian strikes killed four people in the Krasnodar and Belgorod regions. In Krasnodar, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said a Ukrainian drone attack killed three people and wounded two others, while fires broke out at two industrial facilities. Russian media later reported that an oil refinery was among the sites targeted.
Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed head of the occupied Kherson region, said a Ukrainian drone struck a cafe in the village of Askaniya-Nova near Crimea on Friday evening. He said rescuers recovered the bodies of two young women, born in 2004 and 2006, from the rubble and that another person was also killed in the area.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-appointed head of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia, said three more people were killed in overnight Ukrainian strikes in the region.
Peace Talks Yet to Produce Breakthrough
The latest escalation comes despite US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war. Talks have so far failed to produce a major breakthrough, while Russia has continued to pursue its territorial objectives in eastern Ukraine.
At the United Nations General Assembly, US President Donald Trump again said he believed a deal between Moscow and Kyiv to end the war would be reached. However, fighting and long-range strikes by both sides have continued.
UN officials have also expressed concern over the continuing rise in civilian casualties as attacks intensify.
