Ukrainian officials confirmed at least five people were killed and 11 others wounded in Russian aerial attacks on multiple regions of the country on March 13.
According to Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, a Russian drone struck a bus in the front-line city of Kherson at 8:50 a.m. local time, killing four people and wounding four others. All casualties were passengers on the bus. The injured were taken to a hospital for emergency treatment.
On Telegram, Prokudin posted blurry photos of a yellow bus with blood-stained steps and shattered windows.
Kherson was under Russian control from March to November 2022, early in the conflict. Russian troops are now positioned on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River, which flows through the city. Russian forces frequently use drones to attack Kherson, which Ukraine calls a deliberate targeting of civilians. Earlier this month, Ukraine accused Russia of using first-person-view (FPV) drones to chase a man at a market in Kherson, calling it a "hunt" targeting civilians.
In a separate incident, one person was killed and seven wounded in a Russian drone attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. The drone struck the regional capital, damaging several residential and non-residential buildings and sparking a fire.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces downed 453 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions. Additionally, according to Interfax, citing the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces struck a cargo ship in the Black Sea near Ukraine's Odesa port. The ministry claimed the vessel was carrying military cargo.
Meanwhile, in Ufa, an oil-refining hub in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic, regional head Radiy Khabirov said a drone hit an industrial area, causing a small fire, while another drone struck an apartment building and several cars, injuring one person.
According to a United Nations report, civilian deaths in the conflict have trended upward this year. In July alone, at least 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine, the highest monthly toll since May 2022. On the Russian side, officials recorded 79 civilian deaths from Ukrainian attacks in July, up from the previous month.
The conflict, now in its fourth and a half year, continues amid stalled U.S.-backed talks to end the hostilities.
