At least nine people were killed in Russia and three in Ukraine on Monday, according to local officials on both sides, as Russian and Ukrainian forces carried out heavy attacks. The reported deaths occurred in the Russian regions of Krasnodar and Crimea and in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.The latest exchange has added to the civilian toll in the war’s fifth year, with officials reporting deaths, injuries and damage at civilian sites. Both Moscow and Kyiv deny deliberately targeting civilians, while the reported strikes show no sign of an immediate reduction in the fighting.Deaths and damage reported on both sidesThe largest reported loss of life came in Gelendzhik, a Black Sea resort city in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said six people died and 40 were wounded after debris from Ukrainian drones fell during an attack on Monday.Kondratyev announced the figures on Telegram. Earlier, Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-installed governor of occupied Crimea, said a Ukrainian attack overnight had killed three people and wounded two. He did not provide further details about the incident.In Ukraine, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said a Russian attack on a gas station in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed at least three people. The strike started a fire, damaged the station and affected vehicles nearby, according to his Telegram post.Military claims accompany the strikesRussia’s Defence Ministry said on Monday that Russian forces had taken Bilyi Kolodiaz and Uspenivka, two settlements in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region. The statement came as both countries continued reporting attacks against targets and locations far from the immediate front line.Ukraine also carried out a fresh strike on Wildberries, Russia’s large e-commerce company. A drone hit a warehouse in Khryastovo, a village in Russia’s Vladimir region, according to the reported account of the incident.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Wildberries of supporting Russia’s war effort. Al Jazeera correspondent Audrey MacAlpine said independent online investigations had found the company selling what are described as dual-use goods, including used military helmets, protective equipment, bulletproof vests and fibre-optic cables used in drones.Air defence remains a central concernThe recent deaths come as Ukraine seeks stronger protection against Russian attacks. Zelenskyy wants United States assistance to reinforce Ukraine’s air defences, an issue he discussed with US Vice President JD Vance during a phone call on Friday.That conversation followed Zelenskyy’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House last week. Zelenskyy described the meeting as “good”, but the source material does not provide details of any agreement that followed it.Trump had appeared to promise Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, but he now appears to have reversed course. The uncertainty over that licence leaves Ukraine’s requested air-defence support unresolved as civilian deaths have risen in recent months.The immediate confirmed picture is therefore one of continued escalation: local officials are still recording casualties, Russia is announcing battlefield gains, and Ukraine is seeking additional protection from missile and drone attacks. Further details on the reported strikes and the status of the Patriot production licence remain pending from the authorities involved.
Also read: Ukraine’s attacks on Wildberries warehouses bring war’s effects closer to Russian small businesses.
More context: Deadly Russian missile attack hits defence event near Kyiv amid ongoing conflict.
Related coverage: Drone strikes kill at least 11, including children, in Russian-held and Ukrainian areas.
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