Deadly strikes hit Zaporizhzhia & Belgorod as Moscow, Kyiv trade blows amid rapid Russian advance

Russia and Ukraine exchanged fresh waves of strikes as fighting intensified across multiple fronts. Ukrainian authorities said a Russian airstrike on Zaporizhzhia killed two civilians and injured 16 others, including two children, while Russia reported a fatal Ukrainian drone attack in the Belgorod region. Both sides also claimed major battlefield successes, with Moscow saying its forces captured additional settlements and destroyed Ukrainian military targets, while Kyiv reported intercepting most of the latest Russian drone and missile barrage. Many battlefield claims from both sides remain independently unverified.