Russian airstrikes across Ukraine on Thursday resulted in multiple deaths and injuries, officials reported, as the conflict continues to intensify.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya, at least four people were killed and 18 wounded after five Russian glide bombs struck the industrial city, located just 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) from the front line.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that rescue teams were still working to pull survivors from the rubble of a multistory residential building.
Nearby, in the Donetsk region, artillery shells targeted residential buildings in the village of Mykolayivka, killing two and injuring five, according to Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin. He urged residents to evacuate due to the proximity to the front line.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Kyiv, Ukrainian forces successfully shot down more than 30 Russian drones overnight, although falling debris injured two people and damaged several areas of the city, the Ukrainian military administration reported on Telegram.
In the northeastern Sumy region, Russian glide bombs caused significant destruction in the village of Yampil, killing a 33-year-old woman and injuring another.
Ukrainian authorities have opened war crimes proceedings, citing the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure.
Russian shelling also hit the southern city of Kherson, killing one person, while in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, Russian drone strikes injured one man and caused a psychological shock to five others, according to local military officials.
On the front lines, tensions escalated further as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed casualties from skirmishes between Ukrainian forces and North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region.
Zelenskyy described Moscow’s use of North Korean troops as a "new wave of escalation" and reiterated his call for the West to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons to counter Russia’s growing influence in the region.
"We need to act now, or Putin will deploy more North Korean troops," Zelensky warned.
Meanwhile, overnight airstrikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, injured at least 25 people, with significant damage reported to a multistory residential building.
The attack also left nearby buildings and vehicles damaged and forced the evacuation of 30 residents due to the risk of the building collapsing.
Kharkiv, close to the Russian border, has been repeatedly targeted since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with guided bombs continuing to cause devastation in both civilian and strategic areas.