Russian authorities have accused Kyiv of intensifying attacks on civilian targets in recent weeks. According to Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratyev, at least seven people, including three children, were killed in a Ukrainian strike on the Black Sea resort village of Arkhipo-Osipovka.

The governor stated that falling drone debris injured at least 40 others, and accused Kyiv of attacking civilian targets far away from military installations. Meanwhile, Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-installed governor of Crimea, said in a Telegram post that four people were killed in a Ukrainian strike on the Russia-annexed region.

Russian military officials claimed they intercepted a further 131 Ukrainian drones overnight. Kyiv did not confirm the strikes, but analysts said it was in line with the size of a recent spate of Ukrainian counter-attacks to Russian aggression. At the same time, Ukraine reported that an attack on a gas station in Dnipropetrovsk killed three people, consistent with a recent pattern of Russian attacks on fuel depots.

In the latest move in an ongoing shakeup in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's chief peace negotiator, to lead foreign intelligence. Zelenskyy said Umerov would remain in charge of peace talks after being moved from his previous job as head of the Security Council advisory body, tasked with seeking a diplomatic end to the war with Russia.

Ihor Klymenko, the former Interior Minister, will take over as head of the Security Council. Since the sudden cabinet reshuffle last month, which included replacing Defense Minister, Zelenskyy has been shuffling senior officials among top posts, including replacing the top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Source: www.dw.com