Russia and Ukraine traded accusations on Monday after a series of overnight strikes left several people dead on both sides.
The attacks came as fighting continued with no sign of progress toward peace.
In Crimea, the Moscow-backed administration reported that Ukraine carried out a drone strike on the resort town of Foros. The attack damaged the grounds of a sanatorium and a nearby school building. Local officials confirmed that three people died and more than a dozen were injured. Falling debris from the drone also started a fire close to the coastal city of Yalta. Russia’s defence ministry described the strike as a terrorist act, initially putting the death toll at two before raising it.
In response, Kyiv pointed to Russian assaults across its territory. Ukrainian officials said that by late Sunday night, Moscow had launched at least 46 air strikes. In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, three people were killed and two others injured when Russian forces dropped several bombs. Regional authorities stated that at least five bombs struck different parts of the city, causing destruction and leaving one victim in critical condition.
The latest exchange of strikes comes against the backdrop of Russia’s continued hold over Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Ukraine has carried out repeated attacks on the region, including on the bridge linking the peninsula to the Russian mainland.
Diplomatic moves in recent weeks have failed to bring any breakthrough. US President Donald Trump, after separate meetings with both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggested that Ukraine might have to give up efforts to regain Crimea as part of a possible peace deal. However, talks have since stalled, leaving the conflict unresolved while both sides continue to suffer losses.