At least five people have been killed in Donetsk and Odessa as attacks that began on Friday continued to escalate.
Five people were killed in New Year’s Day attacks on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region and the Russian-occupied eastern city of Donetsk, as the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalates.
Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-established Donetsk region, said four people had been killed in Donetsk and accused Ukraine of carrying out “massive shelling with multiple rocket systems.”
At least 14 people were injured, he added.
Meanwhile, Odesa region governor Oleh Kipel said that one person was killed in the Russian air raid on Odesa.
Kiper said Ukraine’s air defense systems were engaged in repelling the drone attack, but falling debris caused multiple fires in homes across the city and injured at least three people.
A social media video posted by Odesa Mayor Henady Trukhanov showed him inspecting a damaged apartment building with broken windows.
“They say that how you welcome the new year is how you will spend the year,” Trukhanov said in the post.
“This year, Ukraine will break this rule. We will fight tenaciously and win.
Ukraine’s air force said that Russian air strikes targeted not only the city of Lviv, but also Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovskiy regions.
Air attacks have intensified since Friday, when Russia fired some 158 missiles and drones into major Ukrainian cities, killing at least 30 people and wounding more than 140.
This was followed by a Ukrainian military attack on the Russian border town of Belgorod on Saturday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 111 others.
The Russian government has vowed to retaliate, launching a new airstrike on Ukraine with six missiles and drones on Sunday, targeting the country’s second city, Kharkiv.
Both countries deny that civilians have been targeted in the war, which began in February 2022 when Russia sent soldiers in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
