Two dead, one injured in Russian attack in eastern Ukraine

At least two civilians have died in the shelling of Podoly, a suburb of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, according to an official.

"The enemy hit a civilian object, a café, where local residents were in the afternoon," Kharkiv Regional Governor Oleh Synehubov said via Telegram on Saturday. In addition to the two fatalities, there was one person injured.

The village of Podoly on the eastern bank of the Oskil River was hit. Russian troops have stepped up their military efforts in the area as a counterweight to the Ukrainian offensive in the south of the country.

As a result, the Russians have recently advanced further in the region in north-eastern Ukraine. Kupyansk, which was liberated last autumn during the Ukrainian counteroffensive, has come under fire several times since.