Ukraine, Russia trade deadly strikes; 5 killed in occupied town

At least five people have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-occupied town of Tokmak in south-eastern Ukraine, local authorities said on Friday, while Moscow launched fresh attacks on Ukrainian targets.
Another 18 people were injured in the strike on Tokmak, Yevgeny Balitsky, the governor installed by Moscow for the Zaporizhzhya region, said on Telegram. Balitsky said the attack targeted an infrastructure site and hit a market in the town. It was not possible to independently verify the claims.
Tokmak is located just some 25 kilometres from the frontline.
Ukrainian troops have increasingly targeted Russian supply routes behind the front in recent weeks, with Ukrainian officials having asked civilians to leave Russian-occupied areas.
Meanwhile, in the regional capital Zaporizhzhya, which is not occupied by Russia, at least one civilian was killed in a Russian glide bomb attack, with another five injured, military governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram. The bomb damaged a building housing an industrial company, he said. The industrial city is located some 20 kilometres north of the frontline.
Across the border in Russia, one person was killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on the western city of Belgorod, local authorities said on Friday. Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov said the woman suffered fatal shrapnel injuries from the impact. A power plant was also damaged. 'Energy infrastructure facilities have suffered serious damage. In a number of city districts, there are problems with the electricity and water supply,' the regional crisis staff said in a statement. Over four years after Russia launched its war against Ukraine, Russia's own border regions are now increasingly feeling the impact of the conflict.
Belgorod is one of the hardest-hit cities. Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian targets in the past 24 hours.
A drone strike on the town of Romny in Ukraine's north-eastern Sumy region killed four people and injured three, local authorities said on Friday. The regional military administration chief, Oleh Hryhorov, said on Telegram that Russian forces hit an apartment building.
In a separate attack, a missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region injured seven people, local officials said. The city's defence council head, Oleksandr Vilkul, said on Telegram that nine apartment blocks, a school, a company, several shops, garages and around 10 vehicles were damaged.
The strikes came a night after a major combined air attack on Kyiv, which killed at least 30 people, according to authorities. Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a major industrial centre, has been repeatedly targeted during the war. - dpa