Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of overnight airstrikes killing 2, injuring 9

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia and Ukraine on Friday accused each other of overnight airstrikes that have killed two people and injured nine others.

"As a result of the enemy's night attack on the Odesa region, one person was killed and six others were injured," Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Kiper said that the condition of three of those injured is serious, as overnight drone attacks targeted port, residential, industrial, and energy infrastructure facilities in the region.

“Fertilizer warehouses were damaged in the port,” Kiper said, further noting that debris from downed drones was recorded hitting and falling on the territory of a car dealership and a sanatorium, while two other drones hit two residential buildings.

“The fires that arose as a result of the attacks were promptly extinguished by rescuers. Emergency and municipal services are working at the scene,” Kiper added.

Separately, Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said in a morning statement that a person was killed in his region following a drone attack on the city of Orikhiv, situated near the front line.

Ukraine’s Air Force claimed that its air defenses, based on preliminary data, shot down 111 out of 154 drones launched by Russia overnight.

Meanwhile, Andrey Bocharov, the governor of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, wrote on Telegram in an overnight statement that the country’s Defense Ministry is repelling a “massive” strike in the region targeting residential buildings and industrial infrastructure.

Damage has been reported to private homes in the city of Volgograd and surrounding municipalities, Bocharov said, adding that three people were hospitalized.

“Drone debris has been reported falling on the grounds of several industrial enterprises in the city and region,” he further said, without further details.

“Emergency services and municipalities have been instructed to assess the damage, address the aftermath, provide assistance to victims, and prepare temporary accommodation centers,” he added.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a separate statement that its air defenses shot down 58 Ukrainian drones overnight, of which 43 were downed over the Volgograd region.

Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of strikes against energy infrastructure amid US-mediated peace negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which will enter its fifth year later this month.