Russia carried out deadly strikes across Ukraine overnight that hit residential areas, while Ukraine said drone strikes in the Black Sea hit 12 Russian vessels.
At least six people were killed and 20 wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian authorities reported on Friday.
In the southern port city of Odesa, two people were killed and 10 others injured, including a woman who had been walking in a park with her children, who survived, said regional military administration head Oleh Kiper.
In the nearby port city of Mykolaiv, regional prosecutors said that a Russian drone attack damaged three civilian-flagged vessels, killing two Ukrainian civilians who were on board a vessel.
In the Zaporizhzhia region to the southeast, two people were killed and five more were injured in a Russian strike, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said strikes on Odesa targeted port infrastructure used by the Ukrainian military as well as a drone production facility. Ukrainian sources did not report any damage to port facilities in Odesa.
In the northeastern region of Kharkiv, three people were injured by Russian shelling. In neighboring Sumy region, Russia fired 15 glide bombs, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure and injuring one person, Zelenksyy said.
In Kharkiv, operations at a gas production facility were suspended after a Russian drone attack, Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz reported, adding it was not yet possible to the extent or scale of damage.
In total, Russia deployed more than 130 drones and eight missiles overnight, Zelenskyy added.
Russian vessels targeted by drones in Black Sea
Meanwhile, Robert Brovdi, the head of Ukraine’s drone forces, said several Russian ships were hit in the Black Sea, including nine cargo vessels, a tanker, a gas transport ship and a tugboat.
“The fleet hunt continues,” Brovdi said in a statement on Telegram. He said the strikes aim to disable the ships and disrupt transport of oil, fuel and cargo shipments used to circumvent sanctions.
“It is not the goal to pollute the waters with oil slicks, so no holes in the hulls,” Brovdi said.
He added that since July 6, 159 Russian vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. These numbers could not be independently verified.
Zelenskyy said on X that Ukraine destroyed a strategic Tu-95 parked at Russia’s Engels airbase, deep inside Russia, about 800 kilometers (497 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Zelenskyy said the aircraft was used for missile strikes on Ukraine.
“We are defending ourselves justly and proactively,” he said.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
DW News
