Overnight, Russia initiates lethal aerial assaults on urban areas and power infrastructure throughout Ukraine.
Ukraine's air defense system reported numerous missile and drone strikes on various parts of the country on Monday, affecting regions such as Kyiv and Odesa, among others.
Deaths were reported in regions like Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Volyn, with five individuals injured in Poltava after an industrial facility was hit, as per regional military officials.
Power outages were witnessed in cities like Kyiv and Dnipro following the assaults, according to Serhii Kovalenko, CEO of Yasno energy company.
Ukraine's Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, asserted that the country's energy infrastructure had been under attack throughout the night.
"Our energy sector is under attack," he stated, emphasizing that emergency power outages had been implemented and the extent of the damage was being evaluated.
Explosions were also heard by CNN teams in Kyiv and Dnipro.
In Kyiv, the city's military chief suggested that air defenses were operational in the region and advised residents to seek shelter.
In Kharkiv, emergency services were busy at various locations hit by the attacks, according to local military officials.
The intense aerial assault occurred just two days after a Russian attack on a hotel in Donetsk resulted in the death of a British safety advisor and injuries to two journalists.
Ryan Evans, previously a soldier, had been cooperating with Reuters since 2022, providing safety advice to journalists worldwide, including in Ukraine, Israel, and the Paris Olympics.
The ongoing Russian bombardment comes during a period when Ukrainian forces occupy a portion of Russian territory on the border of Kursk and as Kyiv targets Russian areas deep within the country.
On Monday, Russia declared that its air defenses had successfully intercepted 20 drones launched from Ukraine, including nine over the Saratov region, three over Kursk, two each over Belgorod, Bryansk, and Tula regions.
On Sunday, Belgorod's governor reported five fatalities and 12 injuries due to shelling.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had advanced up to 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) in Kursk and seized control of two additional settlements.
Meanwhile, Russian ground forces seemed to be closing in on Pokrovsk, a strategic city considered the next potential major battlefront in the conflict.
Pokrovsk holds significant importance for Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly stating his intention to seize all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
In his Sunday address, Zelensky placed emphasis on Novohrodivka and Vodiane, where the intensity of attacks was most pronounced, and expressed gratitude to the resilience of Ukraine's forces.
The European Union expresses concern over the escalating conflicts in Ukraine, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.In light of the global crisis, world leaders are urging for diplomatic solutions to prevent further escalation and loss of lives.
