At least two civilians were killed in an exchange of aerial shelling during the night between Russia and Ukraine, according to officials from both countries on Wednesday.
Ukraine has been under continuous aerial bombardment by Russian forces for nearly two years, and it has been urging its Western allies to bolster its defense systems.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its drone attacks on Russian territories, targeting especially border areas, but also the capital, Moscow, and the northern city of St. Petersburg, according to AFP.
The agency quoted the mayor of Horlivka in Donetsk, one of the Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia, as saying that two civilians were killed and another was injured in a Ukrainian drone attack.
Ivan Prikhodko, who is loyal to Moscow, said on Telegram, “Due to an aerial bombardment by Ukrainian forces using a drone on the road between Horlivka and Donetsk, two civilians were killed, and another was injured.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement published on its website that its air defenses had destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the Baskov region.
For its part, Ukraine announced that Russian forces launched an attack with 20 drones and three ballistic missiles during the night, and that anti-aircraft defense systems shot down more than 12 drones.
The Ukrainian Air Force explained that Russia had launched 20 Iranian-made drones and three ballistic missiles at Ukraine, adding that the anti-aircraft defenses, especially in the southern and eastern regions on the front lines, had downed the drones, without mentioning the missiles.
Authorities in the Kharkiv region (east), bordering Russia, said that a supermarket and houses were damaged in the attack, which resulted in three people being injured. One person was also reported injured in the Mykolaiv region (south).
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that regaining control of Ukrainian airspace this year is a priority for making progress on the front lines.
