RUSSIAN STRIKES KILL SIX IN UKRAINE AS KYIV SAYS IT DAMAGED RUSSIAN SHIPS IN SEA OF AZOV ATTACKS. (PHOTO).

 Russian strikes kill six in Ukraine as Kyiv says it damaged Russian ships in Sea of Azov attacks

    Russian strikes across Ukraine killed six people, including a child, and injured 29 others as fighting continued overnight, while Ukrainian forces said they damaged dozens of Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine’s military said its overnight drone operation struck 21 Russian tankers used to transport oil and petroleum products, along with four tugboats, two cargo ships and a dredging vessel. Russian officials acknowledged drone attacks but reported that only four ships were damaged and said one person was killed.

In Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, four people, including a child, were killed after two aerial bombs struck a crowded civilian area. Seventeen others were wounded in the attack, according to regional officials.

The capital Kyiv was also targeted in overnight missile and drone strikes, leaving 11 people injured, including a child. Emergency crews reported explosions and fires in several districts of the city. In the southern Odesa region, a Russian missile strike killed two people and wounded another man with shrapnel injuries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 12 missiles, including six ballistic missiles, and 121 drones during the attack. He said Ukrainian forces intercepted most drones and some missiles but warned that ballistic missiles continued to expose weaknesses in the country’s air defense systems.

Ukraine’s air force said its defenses destroyed or disrupted two missiles and 111 drones, while direct strikes were recorded at 11 locations.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces targeted Ukrainian drone production facilities in Kyiv, as well as ports in the Odesa region, including Izmail and Chornomorsk.

Russian officials also claimed their air defenses destroyed 178 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple Russian regions, the occupied Crimean Peninsula and waters in the Black and Azov seas.