Russia, Ukraine trade accusations as overnight strikes kill 8

Russia and Ukraine on Thursday renewed their accusations concerning overnight airstrikes that left eight people dead in the Ukrainian capital and northeastern Kharkiv region, as both sides continued to target each other's infrastructure amid the ongoing war. The Kyiv City Military Administration issued a missile alert during the night and later reported that two warehouses were damaged in the city's Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, while Ukraine's State Emergency Service confirmed that two people were killed and at least eight others were injured in the capital.

The DSNS said in a statement that "All necessary emergency services are working at the sites," adding that two people were also injured in the southern Odesa region following Russian strikes there. The agency reported that the attacks caused a fire at a previously damaged shopping center in Odesa, while a two-story private residential building caught fire at another location, and the roof of a seven-story hospital building and a 10-story non-residential structure were damaged.

Both sides claim military targets hit

Ukraine's Air Force stated that its air defenses shot down 220 out of 282 drones launched by Russia overnight, as well as seven missiles, according to official statements. The Russian Defense Ministry announced it launched a massive strike on facilities involved in drone production and telecommunications centers providing services to the Ukrainian military in Kyiv, stating that its forces also hit two logistics centers in Odesa used for storing military cargo arriving from European nations.

Moscow further said its forces struck a tanker transporting fuel intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the port of Chornomorsk, and that Russian air defenses downed 40 Ukrainian drones overnight over six regions as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov reported separately that six people were killed and 12 others injured following a morning strike on a farm in the village of Stara Hnylytsia in his region.

Drone debris sparks fire in southern Russia

The operational headquarters in Russia's southern Krasnodar region said that a fire broke out at an unspecified facility in the region's Dinskoy district due to falling drone debris. "There were no casualties. Fifty personnel and 15 pieces of equipment – including units from the Russian Emergencies Ministry – have been deployed to extinguish the fire," the statement said.

Both Russia and Ukraine have ramped up strikes in recent months, targeting each other's logistics centers, ports, and energy infrastructure. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, maintaining that their strikes are directed at military targets or facilities linked to military activities. Independent verification of the claims remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict.