Scores of people were killed and injured as Ukraine and Russia each carried out fresh attacks on Friday, as civilians continue to bear the brunt of the war launched by Moscow more than four years ago.
At least five people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-occupied town of Tokmak in south-eastern Ukraine, according to local authorities.
Another 18 people were injured in the strike on Tokmak, Yevgeny Balitsky, the governor installed by Moscow for the Zaporizhzhya region, said on Telegram.
Balitsky said the attack targeted an infrastructure site and hit a market in the town. It was not possible to independently verify the claims.
Tokmak is located just some 25 kilometres from the frontline. Ukrainian troops have increasingly targeted Russian supply routes behind the front in recent weeks, with Ukrainian officials asking civilians to leave Russian-occupied areas.
Meanwhile in the regional capital Zaporizhzhya, which is not occupied by Russia, at least two civilians were killed in a Russian glide bomb attack, with another 21 injured, military governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.
The bomb damaged a building housing an industrial company, he said.
The industrial city is located some 20 kilometres north of the frontline.
Another three people were killed in a Russian attack on the city of Dnipro, to the north of Zaporizhzhya, according to local officials.
Twelve people were injured, including children, regional military governor Oleksandr Hanzha said.
Hanzha said the region was hit by at least 50 Russian strikes during the course of the day.
Across the border in Russia, one person was killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on the western city of Belgorod, local authorities said.
Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov said the woman suffered fatal shrapnel injuries from the impact. A power plant was also damaged.
“Energy infrastructure facilities have suffered serious damage. In a number of city districts there are problems with the electricity and water supply,” the regional crisis staff said in a statement.
Over four years after Russia launched its war against Ukraine, Russia’s own border regions are increasingly feeling the impact of the conflict. Belgorod is one of the hardest-hit cities.
In Russian-occupied Crimea, a bridge was completely destroyed in the centre of the Black Sea peninsula, the Ukrainian General Staff said, adding that Russian supplies to the frontline in eastern Ukraine have been significantly hampered as a result.
Ukraine also attacked radar installations and an electronic reconnaissance facility near Sevastopol with drones, according to the military.
It was not possible to independently verify the claims.
Large parts of Crimea were without power due to repeated Ukrainian drone attacks, according to Sergei Aksyonov, the governor appointed for the peninsula by Moscow.
“At present, more than 10 districts are either completely or partially without electricity,” Aksyonov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS.
“The enemy is attacking the peninsula’s power grid with drones on a daily basis,” he said, describing the situation as difficult.
Aksyonov did not specify how many people were affected by the cuts.
So far, it has mostly been the civilian population in mainland Ukraine that has had to withstand repeated power cuts due to the war, particularly in winter when Russia regularly ramps up attacks on the power grid to lower morale.
However, Ukraine’s military has recently become more successful at disrupting daily life in Russia. While it is primarily targeting oil facilities and military targets to disrupt Moscow’s ability to continue the war, Ukrainian drones have also targeted energy infrastructure.
Russia, for its part, has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian targets in the past 48 hours.
An overnight drone strike on the town of Romny in Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region killed four people and injured three, local authorities said on Friday.
The regional military administration chief, Oleh Hryhorov, said on Telegram that Russian forces hit an apartment building.
In a separate attack, a missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region injured seven people, local officials said.
The strikes came a night after a major combined air attack on Kiev, which killed at least 30 people, according to authorities.
FILE PHOTO – Hole in the roof of a residential building in Sumy after being hit by a Russian drone. (is associated with: «Civilians killed on both sides as Ukraine, Russia trade fresh attacks») Francisco Richart/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa