Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of overnight air attacks on border regions

reuters_tickers

(Reuters) -Ukraine and Russia accused each other of overnight air attacks on their border regions, with Ukrainian officials saying that two people died and four were injured in the Sumy region, and Russia saying three civilians were injured in Belgorod.

Two children were among those injured in Sumy, the military administration of the northeastern Ukrainian region said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app. Several residential houses and cars were damaged, it said.

Across the border, in Russia’s southwestern region of Belgorod, three civilians, including two children were injured in Ukraine’s air attack, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the region, said on Telegram.

He said two residential buildings were destroyed and more than 15 buildings in total were damaged.

The Russian defence ministry said on Telegram that it destroyed two Ukraine-launched drones over Belgorod overnight.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Both Sumy and Belgorod regions have been subject to frequent attacks. Both sides deny targeting civilians, saying the attacks are aimed at destroying each other’s infrastructure critical to war efforts.

Thousands of civilians have died in the war, which Russia started with full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022. Millions of Ukrainians have also been displaced, while their cities and villages have become piles of rubble.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William Mallard and Sonali Paul)