Civilians killed in Ukrainian and Russian regions as drone attacks intensify and Moscow claims gains in eastern Ukraine.
The Russia-Ukraine war reached its 1,238th day with a surge in deadly strikes and expanding drone warfare on both sides of the conflict.
In Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, a Russian attack on the Kupiansk district claimed the lives of two civilians in their late 60s and injured two more, according to the regional prosecutor’s office. Meanwhile, in the Sumy region, Russian artillery fire on the outskirts of the Velykopysarivska community killed a 50-year-old resident.
On the eastern front, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that its forces had occupied the villages of Voskresenka and Petrivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a key battleground in Moscow’s ongoing push for control.
Ukraine also stepped up its drone offensive, targeting multiple Russian cities. In the western city of Voronezh, a Ukrainian drone strike injured 27 people, local officials said. The city’s mayor, Sergei Petrin, reported that a kindergarten was damaged, forcing children to be temporarily relocated to nearby facilities.
Russian air defence systems intercepted 12 Ukrainian drones over the Voronezh region, according to Governor Alexander Gusev. Additional drone-related incidents were reported across several regions:
- In Yelets city (Lipetsk region), a drone crashed in an industrial area, injuring one person, according to Governor Igor Artamonov.
- In Sluchevsk, a village in the Bryansk region, a woman was injured in a drone attack, regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.
- The Russian Defence Ministry reported the overnight destruction of 55 Ukrainian drones across five Russian regions and over the Black Sea.
As the conflict continues to evolve, both sides are relying increasingly on drone warfare to gain tactical and psychological advantages, escalating risks for civilians far from the front lines.