Mutual drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine overnight caused casualties and damage to energy infrastructure, regional officials on both sides said on Wednesday.
In the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, four people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of the Rostov region, Yury Slyusar, said in a post on Telegram. Fires broke out in several apartments in multi-storey residential buildings, and a man was found dead in one of the flats, he said.
Slyusar also reported two fires in the city's industrial zone.
In Russia's Belgorod region, a woman was killed in the village of Zozuli in a Ukrainian drone strike, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Later, a man was killed by a drone explosion in the city of Shebekino, he added.
Russia again targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure amid freezing temperatures.
In the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, Russian forces attacked civilian infrastructure on Tuesday evening and overnight, according to the head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul.
The strikes triggered emergency power cuts affecting about 45,000 customers, while district heating was disrupted in more than 700 buildings, Vilkul said in a Telegram post. The situation had stabilized by morning, he added.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly four years. As part of its defence, Ukraine carries out strikes on targets inside Russia. The number of casualties and the scale of damage from Ukrainian attacks are far smaller than the devastation caused by Russian strikes across Ukraine.
