Russia Escalates Attacks on Ukraine: Two Children Among Six Killed in Energy Grid Strikes

Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine during the night, resulting in the deaths of at least six individuals, including two children, while disrupting power to thousands of households, according to officials' reports on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that these attacks demonstrated Moscow's intent to "inflict harm" on civilian populations.

Moscow has dismissed American appeals to cease its nearly four-year military campaign in Ukraine, instead advancing its ground offensive while intensifying strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Kyiv announced on Saturday the deployment of special forces to the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian defenses face significant pressure from an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops.

"Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions. Six people died, including two children," Ukraine's prosecutor general's office stated via Telegram.

Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets identified the children as boys aged 11 and 14.

Additionally, a Russian attack on the southern Zaporizhzhia region left approximately 58,000 households without electricity, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov.

Ukrainian officials maintain that these strikes on energy infrastructure are primarily designed to demoralize the civilian population, an accusation that Russia denies.

The overnight assault occurred just one day after Ukraine's top military commander disclosed the deployment of special forces to Pokrovsk, where Kyiv faces mounting pressure from a substantial Russian military presence.

Hundreds of Russian soldiers have infiltrated this logistics hub, according to earlier statements from Kyiv.

Additional Russian forces are approaching the city's outskirts in a pincer movement, as indicated by battlefield maps published by the Institute for the Study of War.

Capturing the city would represent a significant propaganda victory for the Kremlin, which has rejected proposals for peace negotiations based on current front lines.

"A comprehensive operation to destroy and displace enemy forces from Pokrovsk is underway," Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky announced on Facebook Saturday.

Social media videos allegedly showed helicopters flying toward the city, while another purportedly captured by a Russian drone displayed figures rushing from a helicopter that had landed in an open field.

In response to Moscow's attacks on its energy grid, Ukraine has conducted retaliatory strikes against Russian oil and gas infrastructure.

A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Black Sea port of Tuapse early Sunday ignited an oil tanker and damaged port facilities, according to regional authorities.

Zelensky advisor Vladyslav Vlasiuk claimed on Telegram that Ukraine had also targeted the Tuapse oil terminal, which is owned by Russian oil giant Rosneft.

Social media images allegedly depicted various fires at the port.

AFP could not immediately verify Vlasiuk's statements or the images, and Russian officials did not provide immediate comment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" intended to demilitarize the country and prevent NATO expansion.

Kyiv and its European allies characterize the conflict, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, as an unprovoked and illegal territorial seizure that has resulted in massive violence and destruction.

The invasion has claimed tens of thousands of civilian and military lives, while forcing millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes.