Russian and Ukrainian attacks kill at least 13, officials say

The latest attacks target towns and cities as the war enters its fifth year

Firefighters work at the site of residential houses hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine Jul 16, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Russian and Ukrainian attacks on civilian areas in towns and cities, many on the front line of the more than four-year-old war, killed at least 13 people on Thursday, local officials said.

A Russian guided bomb attack on Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia killed three people and wounded 15, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.

Reuters TV footage showed firefighters dousing the aftermath of blazes and crews sifting through the rubble of shattered buildings in the city, which has come under intensified attack in recent weeks.

Russian missiles struck the Black Sea port of Odesa, another frequent target of Moscow, killing two people, injuring six and damaging civilian infrastructure.

Outside the city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border, a Russian drone attack killed one person, the national emergency services said. Earlier in the day, a drone attack near the city of Kupiansk, farther east, killed three people.

In Donetsk region, the focal point of most fighting along the 1,200km (775-mile) front line, the regional governor said one person was killed and five injured near Kramatorsk, one of the "fortress towns" where Ukraine has bolstered defences.

On the other side of the border, local officials in Belgorod Region said one person had died when Ukrainian forces shelled a settlement near the border.

And the Moscow-installed head of areas of Donetsk region under Russian control, Denis Pushilin, said one person died in an area held by Russian forces.

Reuters could not independently verify accounts from either side.