Russian attack kills one in Ukraine’s Kherson, hits houses near Kharkiv

(Reuters) – Russian forces repeatedly shelled a settlement west of the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson on Thursday, killing one person and wounding another, the region’s governor said.

Vyacheslav Prokudin, governor of Kherson region, still partly held by Russian forces, said on Telegram that the woman died when Russian forces hit the village of Tomyna Balka six times.

Outside Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv, a strike by Russian multiple rocket launchers triggered a fire engulfing at least six homes in the town of Slatyne, local official Vyacheslav Zadorenko said.

Zadorenko said emergency services were tackling the blaze and trying to establish whether any residents were trapped under rubble. Kharkiv, located 30 km (18 miles) from the border, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks.

Reuters could not verify the reports independently.

Russia says it does not target civilians, though thousands have died in the more than 2-1/2 years since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.