Two individuals lost their lives in a minibus targeted by a Russian drone in Kherson, southern Ukraine, as reported by local authorities on Saturday, marking another instance of attacks on civilian areas during Moscow’s full-scale invasion of the country. Regional head Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed that seven others were injured in the assault. Subsequently, another minibus in Kherson was struck by Russia, resulting in injuries to the driver, according to Prokudin.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine mentioned on the Telegram messaging service that there was “rather unusual” activity observed along the northern border with Belarus on Friday. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was monitoring the situation closely and would respond if necessary without providing further details.
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has permitted the use of its territory by Moscow to deploy troops into Ukraine and house some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons. On the Black Sea coast of Ukraine, a Russian attack caused damage to port infrastructure in Odesa, although no casualties were reported.
Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over four years ago, Ukrainian civilians have been enduring continuous air attacks. Despite U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv over the past year, there has been no relief, with Russia rejecting Ukraine’s ceasefire proposal. The ongoing war in Iran has also diverted international attention from Ukraine’s situation in recent weeks.
In a separate development, Russia claimed on Saturday to have seized control of Myropillia village in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region on the approximately 1,250-kilometer front line. However, these claims could not be independently verified, and Ukraine did not respond immediately.
In the Krasnodar region of Russia, local officials confirmed that a fire resulting from a Ukrainian strike on an oil terminal in Tuapse, a Black Sea town, was extinguished on Saturday. Ukrainian drones have targeted the oil refinery and export terminal in Tuapse four times in just over two weeks, causing fires that led to evacuations and significant smoke emissions.
Ukraine has increased its long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities to undermine Moscow’s oil exports, a crucial source of revenue for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Nonetheless, the economic repercussions remain uncertain, as the rise in oil prices due to the Iran conflict and the relaxation of U.S. sanctions have bolstered the Kremlin’s finances.
