Ukrainian strikes on parts of the Russian-held Luhansk and Kherson regions resulted in a tragic loss of life on Friday, with 26 people killed and dozens more injured, according to occupation authorities. The strikes targeted areas that Russia claimed to have annexed in September 2022, despite not having full control over them following a military campaign earlier that year.
In the village of Sadove in the Kherson region, a shop bustling with visitors and employees was destroyed by a HIMARS missile, leading to 22 deaths and 15 injuries. The head of Russian occupation authorities in Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, condemned the attack as a “vile murder of civilians” facilitated by Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.
In Luhansk, a Ukrainian missile strike on an apartment block in the city resulted in the deaths of four people and more than 40 injuries. The city came under a “massive” missile attack, causing a section of an apartment block to collapse and trapping civilians under the rubble. Among the injured were children, including an eight-year-old boy and three teenagers, with 10 individuals in critical condition.
The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian areas, claiming that Ukrainian forces fired U.S.-made missiles at residential districts in Luhansk. The ministry reported that Russian air defenses intercepted four of the missiles, but one struck two apartment blocks, causing significant damage and casualties.
Meanwhile, Russian forces claimed to have made advancements against Ukrainian troops, improving their positions along the front line and capturing the village of Paraskoviivka. President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has gained control of 47 Ukrainian towns and villages since the beginning of the year, signaling a shift in the ongoing conflict.
The escalation of violence also extended to the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Russian shelling claimed the life of a 71-year-old woman. With Russian forces controlling the opposite bank of the Dnipro River, the city remains a battleground in the larger conflict between the two nations.