KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missile strikes in Ukraine overnight and on Saturday killed eight people and wounded 12 more, officials said.
According to the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, six people were killed and 11 were wounded in overnight missile attacks on the city of Kharkiv, which is Ukraine's second largest. The attack damaged residential buildings, a gas station, a kindergarten, a cafe, a shop and cars.
On Saturday afternoon, a further strike on Kharkiv killed another person and left one more person wounded, said Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov. Another missile strike killed a civilian in the southern Odesa region, its governor Oleh Kiper reported.
Overall, Russia fired 32 Iranian-made Shahed drones and six missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to the air force commander. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down three cruise missiles and 28 drones, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk said in a statement. “Russian killers continue to terrorize Ukrainians and attack Kharkiv and other peaceful cities,” he said.
Russia's Defense Ministry said the overnight attacks targeted Ukraine's military enterprises that “produced and repaired armored vehicles and vehicles, drones” as well as “military airfields” and areas where “foreign mercenaries” were allegedly stationed. The ministry claimed all the set targets were hit.
It also said that Ukraine on Saturday morning fired Vampire rockets at Russia. All 10 of them were shot down over Russia's border region of Belgorod by air defense systems, the ministry said.
Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said the rockets were shot down as they were approaching the city of Belgorod, which is the capital of the region of the same name, and added that 12 residential buildings in the city sustained damage. In a nearby village, a private house burned down and several other buildings were damaged , Gladkov said.
It wasn't immediately clear from his statement whether the damage was inflicted by falling debris from the intercepted rockets or whether some of them actually hit those buildings.
Battles on the ground
On the ground in Ukraine, Russian forces were advancing, and pushing back against them was “difficult,” said Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's armed forces.
Syrksyi said the situation in the Bakhmut area in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region was particularly challenging. He said Russian forces are carrying out offensive operations day and night, using assault groups with the support of armored vehicles, as well as assaults on foot.
Fierce battles are taking place east of the town of Chasiv Yar, which Ukraine still controls and which is located near the occupied city of Bakhmut.
Russian forces are trying to break through defensive lines there, Syrskyi said on the messaging app Telegram, adding, “Chasiv Yar remains under our control, all enemy attempts to break through to the settlement have failed.”
Near Avdiivka, another city in the Donetsk region held by the Russians, the fiercest battles were occurring in Pervomaiskyi and Vodyanyi, according to the official. He also said the situation is tense on the southern and northeastern parts of the front line.
