At least three people died in Kyiv during aerial attacks from Russia while it said that it repelled cross-border attacks from Ukraine on Thursday. A nine-year-old girl, her mother and another woman died after debris fell near an air raid shelter they had been trying to enter when the attacks took place. According to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his nightly video message, said shelters "must be kept accessible. Never again should we see a repeat of the situation that occurred last night in Kyiv..." Since May, Russia has launched as many as 20 separate missile attacks and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities.
The UN rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, while condemning the deaths in Kyiv, said six children were killed and 34 wounded in May alone, and that 525 have died since the Russian invasion.
However, Russia denies targeting civilians or committing war crimes but its forces repeatedly hit residential areas and destroyed cities.
The war has killed tens of thousands, shattered Ukrainian cities and brought increasing attacks in Russia.
The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russia had launched 12 missile strikes on targets in Ukraine in the past 24 hours. Russia also mounted 36 air strikes on Ukrainian towns and villages, it said in a Facebook post.
Russia's defence ministry said it had repelled cross-border attacks near the town of Shebekino, and it accused Ukraine of using what it said were "terrorist formations".
The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians that supports Ukraine, claimed to be fighting inside Russia.
"The second phase promised by the RVC's commander has begun!" it told Reuters, referring to a previous incursion, alongside images of fighters firing weapons.
Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions into Russia's Belgorod border region and says they are conducted by Russian volunteer fighters.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod governor said Ukrainian armed forces had repeatedly shelled Shebekino with Soviet-designed Grad 122mm rockets, setting alight a dormitory and damaging an administrative building. At least nine civilians were injured, he said, with hundreds of children, women and elderly being evacuated.
Beside constant air attacks from Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying hard to receive political support and security backing from global leaders. Recently, Zelensky's unrelenting quest for more political support was received warmly at NATO on Thursday. But his attempts failed to bring European leaders at any concrete commitments. On Thursday, all the leaders assembled to condemn non-invitees Russia and Belarus.
Notably, Zelensky is constantly asking for NATO membership to deal with the current situation. However, global leaders are abstaining from directly entering into war against Russia by providing NATO membership to Ukraine.