10 Dead in Wave of Mutual Rocket and Drone Shelling Between Russia and Ukraine

The intensity of military confrontations between Moscow and Kyiv escalated today, Sunday, as a series of mutual rocket and drone attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 10 civilians. The strikes included border areas and others deep within Ukrainian territory, reflecting a new wave of violent field escalation affecting both sides.

In field details, official sources in Russian-controlled areas reported that a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the city of Horlivka in the Donetsk region, killing four citizens. Russian authorities also recorded the death of one person in the border village of Smorodino in the Belgorod region, in addition to another victim in the Kherson region.

For its part, the Ukrainian Air Force announced the detection of a large-scale Russian attack during the night hours, in which Russian forces used 7 ballistic missiles and 136 kamikaze drones. The attacks focused on the capital Kyiv and several other regions, in an attempt to disrupt infrastructure and deplete Ukrainian air defenses.

In the heart of the capital Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that a rocket shelling caused a massive fire on the upper floors of a residential building in the city center. The incident resulted in three civilians being injured with varying degrees of severity, while rescue teams worked to evacuate residents and control the fires that engulfed parts of the building.

In the city of Chernihiv, located in the north of the country, a Russian drone attack caused a humanitarian disaster after directly hitting a local store. The strike led to the deaths of two people, one of whom was a child under the age of ten, as well as injuring three others who were in the vicinity of the targeted site.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attacks on the city of Kharkiv as 'deliberate terrorism,' noting that one person was killed and 12 others were injured in that area. Zelensky stressed in his statements that these operations lack any clear military objectives and are only aimed at terrorizing peaceful residents.

In a related context, local authorities in Zaporizhzhia reported the death of one person and the injury of six others due to a guided bomb shelling that targeted residential neighborhoods in the south of the country. These developments come after a bloody day that saw 20 people killed on Saturday in similar attacks, including 12 killed in a holiday camp that Moscow accuses Kyiv of targeting.

Despite the continued casualties, both Moscow and Kyiv continue to deny deliberately targeting civilians, and each blames the other for violating international laws. Field reports confirm that most civilian casualties have occurred on the Ukrainian side since the beginning of the widespread Russian invasion more than two years ago.

This field escalation comes at a time when diplomatic efforts led by the United States to end the war are experiencing stagnation and deadlock. Meanwhile, the Kremlin continues to affirm the continuation of its military operations until it achieves its goals of full control over the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine that it claims to annex.

This is deliberate Russian terrorism with no military justification, directly targeting civilians in our cities.