Five killed as Russia, Ukraine exchange drone attacks
- 4 January, 10:06
Over five people were killed as Russia and Ukraine exchange drone and missile strikes on Friday, officials reported.
At least one person was killed and several residential buildings were damaged in Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s northern Chernisishiv city in the afternoon, according to authorities.
“Today, the enemy launched a triple rocket attack on a residential area on the outskirts of Chernihiv,” stated regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus. “Several homes were severely damaged. There are injuries, and search and rescue operations are ongoing.” On the same day, separate Russian shelling killed a truck driver near Kyiv and a pensioner in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, according to local officials.
Two more people were killed in Ukrainian strikes on Russian border regions, according to local governors. One person was killed by a mortar strike in a village in Bryansk region, while another died in a drone attack near the front lines in Russia’s border Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched a large-scale offensive last August.
Both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their aerial assaults in recent moths, in an apparent attempt to gain an advantage on negotiation table before US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. Despite the ongoing fighting, many residents in areas close to the front lines in both Russia and Ukraine continue to live in villages that are frequently targeted.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 93 drones in its most recent overnight attack. Of these, 60 attack drones and 26 decoy drones were either shot down or disabled by electronic interceptors. In turn, Russian Air Forces reported downing 16 Ukrainian drones out of 72 over five regions across Russia on Saturday.
