Russia and Ukraine on Thursday traded accusations over overnight air strikes that killed at least three people and injured more than 30 others.
In Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said that a total of eight people were injured after overnight strikes that damaged apartment buildings and local infrastructure in the city of Kryvyi Rih and the region’s Nikopol district.
Sumy Governor Oleh Hryhorov said two people were killed and 20 others injured after a Russian strike hit a shopping mall in the northeastern region’s capital.
“Two men and a woman are in serious condition. Another woman is in critical condition. Among the injured are three girls aged 15-16. Their injuries range from minor to moderate. Doctors are providing all necessary care,” Hryhorov said.
In the Kiev region, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kiev Regional State Administration, said three people were injured in Russian attacks over the past day, with the most significant damage being recorded in the Fastiv and Bucha districts.
In total, 32 properties were damaged across the region,” Tkachenko said, noting this included two industrial or warehouse facilities.
Meanwhile, acting Mykolaiv Governor Heorhii Reshetilov said four people were killed and 19 others injured in Russian strikes targeting port, industrial, and civilian infrastructure in the regional capital over the past day.
Ukraine’s Air Force claimed air defences shot down 128 out of 149 drones launched by Russia overnight.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that it launched group strikes against a drone warehouse in the city of Mykolaiv, as well as infrastructure facilities at the customs terminal distribution centre in the port of Chornomorsk in Ukraine’s southern Odessa region.
The ministry said the infrastructure was being used “for the benefit” of the Ukrainian military, and that it hit two dry-cargo vessels and a tugboat escorting them while en route to the port of Odessa.
Strikes in Russia
The ministry also claimed that air defences downed 448 Ukrainian drones overnight over 13 regions, as well as over the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and occupied Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.
In the border region of Voronezh, Governor Aleksandr Gusev said one person was killed and two others injured after a drone fell on a private home in the town of Borisoglebsk.
“In total, air defence forces detected and destroyed 19 unmanned aerial vehicles over six districts and one urban district of the Voronezh region,” Gusev said.
Fyodor Shchukin, acting head of the Russian Republic of Dagestan, said fires broke out at port infrastructure in the regional capital, Makhachkala, and a theatre in the locality of Akhty due to debris from downed drones.
Meanwhile, Krasnodar Krai's Operational Headquarters said late on Wednesday that eight people were injured in a drone strike on an embankment in the resort city of Sochi.
Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on the attacks, though both Moscow and Kiev have increasingly targeted each other’s logistics centres, as well as port and energy infrastructure, in recent months.
Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, maintaining their strikes are directed at military targets or facilities linked to military activities.
"Over the past 24 hours, our warriors struck eight Russian infrastructure facilities supporting the war. An oil refinery in the Yamalo-Nenets region and a seaport in Dagestan were hit," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.
"Russia continues its daily terror against Ukraine. And every day, it receives a just response," Zelenskyy added.
Dmitry Artyukhov, head of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon that a drone attack resulted in a fire at an unspecified industrial facility in the city of Novy Urengoy, resulting in no casualties.
The same day, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) claimed hitting two gas condensate processing facilities in the western Siberian region, saying it marked its deepest strike inside Russia as its drones travelled over 3,000 kilometres.
The city is near the Urengoy gas field, one of the world's largest natural gas fields and operated by Russian energy giant Gazprom.
Independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.
Zelenskyy’s Canada visit
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy arrived in Canada on Thursday to hold talks focusing on air defence and preparations ahead of winter.
In a statement on X, Zelenskyy said Canada has been and remains one of Ukraine’s closest partners, and that important meetings and agreements are planned, including with Prime Minister Mark Carney, which will shape bilateral cooperation and solidify the already strategic level of their ties.
“The main focus will be on supporting Ukraine in protecting our skies and preparing for the winter. We will discuss how to strengthen our resilience, support our people, and ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that First Lady Olena Zelenska is also scheduled to take part in events in Canada, including a meeting planned with “philanthropists who support Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian president’s visit comes after he visited Norway, where he took part in a ceremony for the late King Harald V on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy then met Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir at Keflavik International Airport, while on his way to Canada.
