At least five killed in Russian air attacks on Ukraine

What the report says

At least five people were killed and 11 others wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine, according to authorities cited by Al Jazeera. The deadliest incident described in the report was a drone strike on a bus in the front-line city of Kherson, where regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said four passengers were killed and four others injured around 8:50am local time on Wednesday. Prokudin said the wounded were taken to hospital and posted images showing damage to the vehicle.

Al Jazeera also reported a separate strike in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where regional governor Ivan Fedorov said one person was killed and seven others injured after drones hit the area, damaging residential and nonresidential buildings and starting a fire. The report said Russian forces continue to attack Kherson regularly, and that the city has remained exposed since Russian troops withdrew from it in late 2022.

The article comes amid a broader escalation in aerial attacks as the war grinds on and diplomatic efforts remain stalled. Al Jazeera cited UN reporting that civilian deaths in Ukraine have risen this year, while Russian officials said their air defences shot down 453 Ukrainian drones overnight in various regions. The report also noted a drone-related fire in Ufa, in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, and an Interfax report of a Russian strike on a cargo vessel near Odesa, underscoring the continuing cross-border nature of the conflict.