Attacks on Kherson Region and Sevastopol targeted civilians including children, according to officials

Two civilians have been killed and at least 21 others injured in separate Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia's Kherson Region and in Sevastopol in Crimea, according to local officials.

Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said two were killed and 12 wounded when drones dropped explosives on civilians gathered outside a grocery store in the town of Aleshki just before it opened. He said several of them had repeatedly dropped munitions on the crowd.

Saldo said Kiev had launched a large-scale attack on the region the previous evening. Pavel Filipchuk, head of the Kakhovka municipal district in Kherson Region, later said his car had encountered a drone strike but that he was not injured.

Another UAV raid targeted Sevastopol overnight, according to the city's governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev. He said air raid sirens sounded twice as Russian air-defense systems intercepted three targets above the city. The official said at least nine people sought medical assistance after the incident, including three children. Six of the injured were hospitalized with shrapnel and laceration wounds.

Sevastopol governor's social media

Razvozhayev said debris from intercepted drones had damaged infrastructure and residential buildings, including a five-story apartment building that was heavily hit.

Authorities also said falling drone fragments had damaged a gas pipeline, an electrical substation, and several buildings, including a college dormitory and a local school. Power outages were reported as emergency services responded to the aftermath.

Sevastopol governor's social media

Russian border regions have consistently been targeted by Ukrainian drones throughout the conflict, with Moscow accusing Kiev of "terrorism" and deliberately attacking civilians and critical infrastructure.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 300 Ukrainian drones have been intercepted and destroyed since the beginning of the week.

A resident looks out from a damaged apartment building in Sevastopol after a Ukrainian drone raid Sevastopol governor's social media

On Wednesday a Ukrainian drone raid injured seven in the Russian city of Novorossiysk and caused extensive damage on the ground, including to kindergartens, local officials reported on Wednesday.

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In response to the attacks on border areas and deeper inside Russia, Moscow has targeted Ukraine's defense-related infrastructure, including energy facilities. Russian officials have insisted that its attacks never target civilians.

(RT.com)