Russia, Ukraine exchange overnight drone strikes killing six

Russia and Ukraine on Monday traded accusations over overnight drone attacks that left at least six people dead and 22 wounded across both sides of the border, with Moscow's Defense Ministry saying its air defense units intercepted and destroyed 342 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, annexed Crimea, and the Azov and Black seas.

Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said three people were killed and five injured when unmanned aircraft struck residential areas, while Belgorod authorities confirmed one death and two injuries in separate attacks, and Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that more than 350 drones targeted the region but most were intercepted before reaching the capital.

Civilian targets hit

In the Stavropol region's Vyazniki village, a drone struck an industrial zone and sparked a fire at an oil depot near the railway line, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on Telegram, while Russian forces carried out strikes damaging port infrastructure in Chornomorsk.

Local authorities in Odesa reported that missile strikes injured four people when they hit parked passenger buses, and Governor Ivan Fedorov said attacks on Zaporizhzhia killed two people and wounded 11 others as they damaged residential buildings, though Ukraine's General Staff noted that its air defense systems shot down 123 Russian drones in the north, south, and east of the country.

Zelenskyy condemns strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of targeting civilians, stating: "Today, the Russians once again 'vanquished' purely civilian sites – ordinary passenger buses in Odesa, ordinary apartment buildings in Zaporizhzhia, and an ordinary hospital in the Kharkiv region." He said Ukraine "needs more air defense, more protection," adding that Russian authorities are "completely irrational" in refusing to end the war — claims that could not be independently verified amid the ongoing conflict.