Overnight attacks across the Russia-Ukraine front lines left at least four people dead, including an eight-year-old child, as both sides continued to trade long-range strikes. In southern Ukraine, Russian drones killed two people in the city of Kherson, according to local officials, while Ukrainian drone barrages on Russia's Black Sea coast claimed two lives in the port of Novorossiysk.
The regional governor of Russia's Krasnodar region, Venyamin Kondratyev, said on Telegram that an eight-year-old child died in Novorossiysk and that eight others, including another child, were wounded and hospitalised. He added that debris from intercepted drones damaged 21 buildings in the city, with unverified social media images showing apartment blocks with blown-out windows and charred cars.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the operation against Novorossiysk as a "unique operation targeting the naval base — the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, more than 300 kilometres from the front line." He said hits on air defence positions, piers, and seaport infrastructure had been confirmed, and shared a video from Russian social media showing orange flashes of air defence and blue counter-drone lasers over the city, with a thick grey cloud rising after dawn.
Elsewhere in the Krasnodar region, another person was killed when drone debris fell into the garden of a private house in the village of Volna, and two people were wounded in the resort town of Gelendzhik on the Black Sea coast.
Escalating cross-border exchanges
Russia's defence ministry said its forces shot down 502 Ukrainian drones across its territory and over the Black Sea overnight. Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, reported that Moscow launched missiles and 138 drones, of which 112 were intercepted, with most aimed at the southern Odesa region and the northeastern Sumy region.
In Kherson, the city's chief said a woman was killed when her house was hit, and another person died in a separate strike. The attacks are part of a pattern of daily Russian bombardments that have forced civilians into shelters and killed people across Ukraine, prompting Kyiv to step up its own strikes on Russian soil as what it calls fair retribution.
The latest exchanges come amid broader concerns about the war's spillover effects. Earlier this week, overnight strikes killed 13 in Ukraine as Russia pressed its missile campaign, and a strike on the Kyiv region killed three, including a child. The EU has responded by targeting five more Russians over attacks on Ukrainian cities, while the US Senate recently passed sweeping sanctions on Russian energy revenues.
The targeting of Novorossiysk, a key naval hub, underscores Ukraine's growing ability to strike deep into Russian territory. The port is vital for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which has been forced to relocate many vessels there after repeated Ukrainian attacks on its traditional base in Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea.
Analysts note that Ukraine's drone programme has remained resilient despite leadership changes, as the sector continues to innovate. The strikes also raise questions about the safety of civilian infrastructure and the potential for further escalation, with both sides showing no sign of de-escalation.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory would not go unanswered, and the Kremlin has framed its own strikes as retaliation. However, the human cost continues to mount, with civilians on both sides bearing the brunt of the violence.
International observers have called for restraint, but diplomatic efforts remain stalled. The latest exchanges come as European leaders debate further support for Ukraine, with some member states pushing for tougher sanctions and others urging a negotiated settlement.
For now, the war shows no signs of abating, and the overnight deaths in Kherson and Novorossiysk are a grim reminder of the conflict's toll on ordinary people.
