Three Civilians Killed in Attacks by Ukrainian and Russian Forces

Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, resulted in the deaths of two civilians, while Russian artillery in eastern Ukraine claimed another life, according to officials on Sunday.

Belgorod’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported on Telegram that a woman was killed when shelling hit her private residence in Shebekino, a border town, while a man lost his life in a drone attack on Rakitnoe village.

The Belgorod area has been subject to numerous cross-border incidents since Moscow initiated its extensive invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russian shelling in Kostiantynivka, located in the Donetsk region, killed a man and caused damage to both residential buildings and infrastructure, stated Serhii Horbunov, the head of the city’s military administration, on Sunday.

The recent series of assaults followed a significant missile and drone attack by Russia on multiple Ukrainian regions on Saturday, which resulted in at least three fatalities and numerous injuries. According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia deployed 619 drones and missiles during this assault.

Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to the social media platform X on Sunday to report that Ukraine had been hit by “more than 1,500 strike drones, over 1,280 guided aerial bombs, and 50 missiles of various kinds” over the previous week.

Noting that “thousands of foreign components” were found in the Russian weaponry, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “counting on the 19th EU sanctions package to be truly painful, and on the United States to join the Europeans.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the package of sanctions on Friday.

Zelenskyy expects to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week, where he has said he hopes to gauge how close Ukraine and its partners are to finalizing long-term security guarantees.

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