Russian and Ukrainian Strikes Kill at Least 13 as Attacks Intensify Across Frontline Regions

At least 13 people were killed on Thursday as Russian and Ukrainian attacks struck civilian areas on both sides of the border, underscoring the continued intensity of the more than four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war.

In southeastern Ukraine, a Russian guided bomb attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia killed three people and injured 15 others, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov. Emergency crews responded to widespread destruction, with firefighters battling blazes and rescue teams searching through the wreckage of damaged buildings. Zaporizhzhia has faced increasingly frequent Russian strikes in recent weeks.

Russia also launched missile attacks on the Black Sea port city of Odesa, killing two civilians, injuring six others, and causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure. Odesa has remained a recurring target of Russian missile and drone attacks throughout the conflict.

In the Kharkiv region near the Russian border, a Russian drone strike killed one person, Ukraine's emergency services said. Earlier on Thursday, another drone attack near the eastern town of Kupiansk claimed three lives, adding to the growing civilian toll.

Fighting also continued in Ukraine's Donetsk region, where much of the war's heaviest combat has been concentrated. Regional officials reported one person killed and five others injured near Kramatorsk, one of Ukraine's heavily fortified defensive positions along the eastern front.

Meanwhile, casualties were also reported inside Russia. Authorities in the Belgorod region said one person was killed after Ukrainian shelling hit a settlement close to the border. Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk, also reported one death in territory under Russian control.

The latest wave of attacks highlights the ongoing humanitarian toll of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with civilians continuing to bear the brunt of escalating cross-border strikes despite the prolonged duration of the war.