Fresh cross‑border attacks between Russia and Ukraine have killed at least 15 people, intensifying hostilities less than a day after Moscow launched one of its deadliest missile and drone barrages on Kyiv since the full‑scale invasion began in 2022. The previous night’s assault on the Ukrainian capital left at least 30 dead, prompting a wave of retaliatory and counter‑strikes across multiple regions.
Russian‑installed authorities in occupied Zaporizhzhia reported that a Ukrainian strike hit a local market, killing five civilians who were shopping at the time. Kremlin‑appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky accused Kyiv of deliberately targeting civilians and later confirmed three additional deaths in separate attacks across the occupied region.
Inside Russia, regional officials said one person was killed in Belgorod and another in Bryansk, both border regions that have repeatedly faced Ukrainian drone and artillery fire since the war escalated into deeper cross‑border exchanges.
Ukraine reported severe casualties from overnight Russian strikes. In the Sumy region, a missile hit a residential neighbourhood, igniting a home and killing four people, including a girl under two years old. Her mother, another woman and an elderly man were also killed, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov. Three others were injured.
Another Russian strike in Dnipropetrovsk killed one person and wounded five, adding to the growing toll of civilian casualties.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched two missiles and 105 drones overnight in its latest wave of aerial attacks. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its air defence systems intercepted 155 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and annexed Crimea.
The surge in violence underscores the escalating tempo of the conflict, with both sides intensifying strikes following the deadly assault on Kyiv.