KYIV, Ukraine: At least 14 people were killed on Sunday as Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh waves of drone and missile strikes, underscoring the escalating intensity of a war that has entered its fifth year.
Russian officials said Ukrainian attacks killed at least nine people across several regions, while Ukrainian authorities reported five deaths from Russian strikes in the country’s east and south.
The latest attacks come as diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two remain stalled.
Ukrainian Strikes Kill Nine in Russia
Four people, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed in Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders northeastern Ukraine, according to Acting Governor Alexander Shuvaev.
“The 13-year-old girl was gravely wounded. Medics who arrived at the scene took all possible measures to save her, but her injuries were incompatible with life,” Shuvaev said.
Elsewhere, a drone strike in Russia’s Saratov region, near the border with Kazakhstan, killed two people, regional officials said.
In Russia’s Udmurtia region, more than 1,000 kilometres from the frontline, three people were killed when a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, Acting Governor Olga Abramova said.
“This act is monstrous in its senselessness. These people were definitely not a military target,” she said.
Russian Attacks Leave Five Dead in Ukraine
In Ukraine, Russian strikes killed two people in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, while one person each was killed in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, according to regional authorities.
A separate Russian strike destroyed a postal terminal in the northeastern Kharkiv region, killing a postal worker, Ukraine’s postal operator Nova Poshta said.
The attacks add to a growing civilian toll as Russia steps up the use of long-range missiles and drones, according to United Nations data.
Fighting Intensifies Amid Stalled Peace Talks
Both Moscow and Kyiv have increased the scale and frequency of cross-border attacks in recent months.
Ukraine has expanded strikes on Russian energy facilities, logistics hubs and military-linked infrastructure in an effort to pressure Moscow into negotiations, while Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks across Ukraine.
US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire have made little progress since February, when diplomatic attention shifted following US and Israeli military strikes on Iran.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians, although thousands of non-combatants have been killed or injured since the conflict began.
