At least 14 people have been killed in a fresh round of reciprocal attacks between Ukraine and Russia. Officials from both nations reported that at least nine people died in Russia and five in Ukraine on Sunday due to these strikes.
It appears that both sides have recently intensified the scope and severity of attacks against each other in the conflict, which has been ongoing for nearly four and a half years.
According to United Nations data, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine has risen significantly this year. A key factor behind this is Russia’s increased use of long-range missiles that are difficult to intercept.
Meanwhile, in an effort to bring Russia to the negotiating table, Ukraine has continued to launch waves of drone and missile strikes against various targets, including energy facilities and warehouses.
Four people were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s border region of Belgorod. Among the victims was a 13-year-old girl who had been injured near a playground. Alexander Shuvaev, the region’s acting governor, stated that despite the best efforts of medical professionals, the critically injured girl could not be saved.
Additionally, two people were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Saratov region, near the border with Kazakhstan. On the same day, another Ukrainian drone strike hit a vehicle in Russia’s Udmurtia region, killing three people. This region is located more than 1,000 kilometers away from the war’s front lines. Acting Governor Olga Abramova described the incident as “senseless and brutal,” noting that the victims were by no means military targets.
On the other hand, two people were killed in a Russian attack on Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region. Local authorities also reported two additional deaths in separate attacks in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Furthermore, a Russian strike destroyed a mail transport terminal in the northern Kharkiv region, killing an employee of Nova Poshta, the country’s postal and parcel service provider. Negotiations mediated by the United States to end the war in Ukraine have been effectively stalled since last February. Diplomatic efforts slowed down after the United States and Israel jointly carried out an attack on Iran around that time.
Both warring parties claim that they do not deliberately target civilians in their attacks.
