Ukrainian Drone Strikes Kill Two in Russia's Tula; Russian Attacks Injure Eight in Kyiv
Two killed in Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Tula region; eight injured in Russian strikes on Kyiv; Ukraine hits Ozon logistics hub in Saratov and industrial site in Volgograd.
At least two people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Tula region, while eight people were injured in Russian air strikes that sparked a fire in a nine-storey apartment building in Kyiv on Friday morning, authorities said.
Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia since February 2022, describes its strikes as part of a campaign to "bring the war home" to ordinary Russians and raise the cost to Moscow of continuing the conflict. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians.
Russia returned to its near-constant air attacks on Kyiv this week after a brief halt during the visit to Moscow and Kyiv of U.S. President Donald Trump's negotiators seeking to end the war, which the Kremlin started by invading Ukraine in 2022. Footage showed servicemen trying to put out a fire at the apartment building in Kyiv, where a number of windows were blown out.
In Russia, Tula region governor Dmitry Milyayev said on Telegram that two people were killed and another three were injured in drone attacks overnight.
Ukrainian drones also damaged civilian infrastructure in the central Volga River city of Saratov, regional governor Roman Busargin said on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties. Russian e-commerce company Ozon said on Telegram that a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at its logistics hub in Saratov, adding to more than two dozen warehouses owned by Ozon and its top peer Wildberries that have been recently hit.
The Saratov region, a frequent target of Ukrainian air strikes, including an attack earlier this week, is home to a large oil refinery run by state oil company Rosneft, as well as a number of other industrial and military facilities.
In the city of Volgograd, south of Saratov and also on the Volga River, a missile attack injured two people after hitting two residential buildings, with debris also damaging an industrial facility, local authorities said on Telegram. They said a temporary makeshift shelter was set up at a school for people from the damaged houses. The post did not provide details about the industrial facility. The Volgograd oil refinery run by Lukoil, one of Russia's biggest by processing capacity, is located on the outskirts of the city.
The reports could not be immediately verified.