Russia and Ukraine exchange overnight strikes that leave 7 dead, many injured

Overnight, Russia and Ukraine engaged in a series of missile strikes that left seven people dead and many more injured. The attacks came as Ukraine's military, lacking sufficient air defense systems like the US-made Patriot interceptor, struggled to protect its cities. Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities have become frequent in recent weeks, targeting key infrastructure and civilian areas.

In Belgorod, a Russian missile hit a residential block in the city's outskirts, killing five people and injuring 24 others, including a four-year-old boy. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was also targeted, with Russian missiles striking a block of flats in the Saltivskyi district and killing two people while injuring 13 others.

The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv continued its drone attacks, damaging fuel depots and storage facilities at the Black Sea port of Odesa, as well as other targets deep inside Russia. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged other countries, especially the US, to send more Patriot interceptors, but has also sought to produce Patriot ammunition domestically or use Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system to guide strikes against Russian missile launchers.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed its overnight strikes hit Ukrainian drone warehouses, fuel depots, and other military materiel, successfully shooting down 153 Ukrainian drones. In Russia's Belgorod region, Ukrainian drone strikes damaged 29 buildings, including administrative buildings and commercial facilities. A fuel terminal in Novorossiysk, a key transportation hub for Kazakhstan's oil exports, was also targeted, resulting in a "powerful explosion" believed to have been caused by a combat drone.

The incident caused a vegetation fire in the nearby village of Crocmaz, Moldova, but no injuries were reported.