Russian shelling killed one person in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region on Thursday, authorities said, as Moscow ramps up its assault to capture the war-battered region.
Outgunned and outmanned on the battlefield, Kyiv has ceded ground to Russian forces since late last year, evacuating civilians from frontline areas amid an uptick in attacks.
In Selydove, about 20 kilometers from the front, “one person died and a private home was destroyed” during Russian bombardment, regional head Vadim Filashkin said on Telegram.
“In total, the Russians fired 17 times at settlements in the Donetsk region over a day. 127 people were evacuated from the frontline, including 13 children,” he added.
Two people were injured in the nearby town of Krasnohorivka, while in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, officials said Russian shelling wounded at least 16.
The shelling came as Russia said it had thwarted Ukrainian attacks on border territories, downing 20 drones and two ballistic missiles, most over its western Belgorod region.
The Defense Ministry said it had neutralized 20 drones — 16 of which were downed — and two Tochka-U missiles as well as five balloons aimed at deflecting the attention of air defense systems.
