KYIV: Three persons were killed and one injured in Russian strikes near the southern and eastern Ukrainian frontline on Wednesday, local officials reported.
The assaults occurred just two days after Moscow pledged to intensify strikes on Ukraine, following an unprecedented attack on the Russian city of Belgorod over the weekend.
At around 11 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday, Russian forces launched missiles on the city of Avdiivka, located near the Russian-controlled stronghold of Donetsk. The attack claimed the life of a 51-year-old man, and a 50-year-old woman was wounded and taken to the hospital, according to Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin.
In addition, Russian shelling targeted villages on the Ukrainian-controlled western bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, resulting in the death of two people, reported regional head Oleksandr Prokudin.
Conflict Between Russia and Ukraine
These incidents occurred as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine approaches its second anniversary. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to Western allies to sustain their support amid the heightened Russian attacks.
Russian forces initiated a series of air strikes on Ukrainian cities last Friday, causing 53 casualties, including 30 in the capital Kyiv, as per authorities’ updated toll on Wednesday.
On the military front, Russian forces launched operations near Bakhmut and Avdiivka in the east, as well as Kupiansk in the northeast, according to army officials on Wednesday.
