Russian attacks on eastern, southeastern Ukraine kill four, spark fires and widespread damage

Russian attacks on cities in eastern and southeastern Ukraine killed four people and injured several others late Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials and prosecutors.

In the frontline Donetsk region, prosecutors said three people were killed and five wounded in two bomb attacks on the city of Sloviansk, a key stronghold in Ukraine’s heavily fortified “fortress belt” that is central to efforts to slow Russia’s advance in the region.

Further south in Zaporizhzhia, a large-scale drone assault killed one person and injured seven others, national police said. Images shared online showed buildings engulfed in flames, rooftops burning and parts of structures reduced to rubble.

Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov reported five strikes on the city, saying a residential building and a shopping centre caught fire, while an educational institution was also damaged.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. Both Russia and Ukraine deny intentionally targeting civilians in the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.