At least six people were injured in an overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to local officials. Meanwhile, a Russian official reported that at least five people were injured in an explosion in the city of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border.
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that 13 drones launched by Russia had been shot down, but regional officials said that debris from the attacks caused injuries and hit critical infrastructure, commercial and residential buildings.
In Kharkiv, a 13-year-old child and a woman were hospitalized due to injuries sustained in the strikes, according to Governor Oleh Synyehubov. Emergency services were working to bring a fire at an office building hit by debris under control. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were reported injured, with infrastructure and three houses damaged.
Six Injured In Russian Drone Strikes In Ukraine (Credits: France 24)
Russia has intensified its attacks on the Kharkiv region in recent weeks, raising fears of a renewed campaign to capture the city. Ukrainian troops recaptured substantial amounts of territory in the region in the fall of 2022, and Kharkiv has been targeted by Russian drones and missiles nearly every day for months.
Major General Vadym Skibitskiy warned that Russia is trying to exploit its current advantage in weapons and manpower, while Ukraine struggles with a lack of weapons.
In Russia, an explosion in Belgorod, a city about 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, injured at least five people and damaged some 30 residences. Local residents have been rattled by repeated attacks on the city, which has been hit by Ukrainian strikes in recent months. While casualties have been relatively low, the attacks have caused many people to leave the city.
Ukraine-Russia war (Credits: Al Jazeera)
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces shot down four U.S.-made long-range missiles fired by Ukraine over the Russian-occupied Crimea Peninsula. However, this claim could not be verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has continued to press for the speedy delivery of promised Western military aid, emphasizing the need for armored vehicles, ammunition, and missiles.
Zelenskiy has warned that Russia plans to launch a major spring and summer offensive, aiming to occupy the city of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region before May 9, Russia’s Victory Day.
