Russian strikes hit multiple locations across Ukraine, setting a large hardware store ablaze in the northeastern city of Sumy and damaging a residential building in the country's east, as fighting between the two sides continued to intensify.

Rescue operations under fire

In Sumy, a fire tore through an Epicentre hardware store following what Ukrainian officials said was a Russian drone attack. Images from the scene showed thick smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service said a separate Russian airstrike hit a nine-storey apartment building in an eastern Ukrainian city, injuring six people. Emergency crews were seen helping residents out of the damaged building as search and rescue operations continued.

Regional authorities said emergency workers faced significant dangers while responding to the strikes, warning that repeated attacks and the continued presence of Russian drones overhead had hampered rescue efforts.

The ongoing threat forced crews to work under difficult conditions as they searched for anyone trapped inside damaged buildings and assisted residents forced to flee their homes.

Both sides report new attacks

The latest strikes came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv's forces had targeted Russian logistical facilities and an oil depot in the Moscow region as part of efforts to disrupt military supply lines.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities accused Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack on a bus in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border.

Officials said five civilians, including a minor, were killed and 23 others were injured. According to regional authorities, three of the wounded remain in a critical condition. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the allegation.

Separately, fires were reported overnight at industrial facilities in the western Russian city of Lipetsk, following unconfirmed reports of another Ukrainian drone attack.

War beyond the front line

Russia has stepped up drone and missile strikes across Ukraine in recent months, while Ukraine has increasingly targeted military infrastructure, fuel depots and logistical hubs inside Russian territory using long-range drones.

The cross-border attacks have become a regular feature of the conflict, with both sides seeking to weaken each other's military capabilities beyond the front line. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the fighting, with residential areas, businesses and critical infrastructure frequently caught up in the violence.

Despite periodic diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, there has been little sign of any breakthrough towards ending the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Read more: 

• Defence firms race to build faster drones as Russia deploys jet-powered Shaheds
• Deadly drone attacks hit Russian warehouses as Black Sea strikes escalate
• Russian missile strike on Kyiv kills one, injures 13

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News Ukraine Russia Volodymyr Zelenskyy