At least five people have been killed and 18 wounded in a Russian missile attack on the town of Merefa in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, local officials said on Monday. The attack targeted civilian infrastructure, including at least 10 houses and four shops, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Syniehubov reported on Telegram that two men and three women were killed, and four of the injured were hospitalized in serious condition. Regional prosecutors said Russian forces allegedly used an Iskander-type ballistic missile. Moscow has denied intentionally targeting civilians since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

In a rare overnight attack into Monday, Ukraine struck Moscow with a drone targeting a residential high-rise in the upscale Mosfilmovskaya Street district, about 10 km southwest of the Kremlin. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties. State broadcaster Rossiya-1 aired footage showing collapsed walls and broken doors inside a damaged apartment.

Two other drones were reportedly repelled by air defense systems. The attacks come five days before Russia’s annual Victory Day parade, which this year will be held without military hardware amid heightened threat from Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attending a summit in Armenia, commented: “They fear drones may buzz over Red Square,” referring to Russia’s decision to exclude cadets and hardware from the parade.

Kyiv has recently intensified strikes on Russian oil refineries, ports, and depots, but Ukrainian drones rarely reach Moscow, which is heavily guarded by air defenses. The Kremlin has not commented on the Merefa attack.

Source: www.aljazeera.com