Russia air attacks pound Kharkiv; Ukraine drones target ethanol plants in Russia

SEVERAL people were injured overnight in Russia's multi-wave air attacks on the Ukrainian northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian military officials said early on Monday.

Two people were hospitalised late on Sunday after Russia hit the city of Kharkiv - the administrative centre of the wider Kharkiv region - with precision guided bombs and damaged several residential buildings, the city's mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

There were more attacks on the city later in the night, Terekhov said on the Telegram messaging channel, partially damaging several buildings.

Four more people suffered various injuries in the Kharkiv region later in the night after Russia launched more attacks, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram.

In an attack on the city of Chuhuiv, a residential building was damaged, Syniehubov said. He added there were no injuries in that attack.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comments from Russia. Moscow denies targeting civilians in the war that has been raging in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

Ukrainian drones meanwhile targeted ethanol plants in Russia's southern region of Voronezh, Russian channels on the Telegram app said, while the regional governor said the attack injured two people, sparked a fire and damaged two industrial enterprises.

Firefighters have doused the fire in the region's Anninsky district that injured two workers, Alexander Gusev, the regional governor, said on the Telegram messaging app.

About 10 Ukrainian drones were destroyed or intercepted over the region late on Sunday, he added, with debris damaging several buildings in the district, as well as in the Novokhopersky district.

The Russian defence ministry said only one Ukrainian drone was destroyed over the Voronezh region, however, from a total of 21 downed over its territory overnight.

Explosions were heard near an ethanol spirit plant in the village of Krasnoye in the Novokhopersky district, said the Baza news channel on Telegram, which is close to Russia's security services, as well as several other news channels on the app.

The SHOT breaking news channel said the fire broke out at a distillery in the village of Anna in Anninsky. Videos on social media showed large blaze at a building lighting up the dark.

Reuters was able to confirm the location of the social media images as the Anninsky district of the Voronezh region. The date could not be verified.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports of damage to two distilleries.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has often said its drone attacks inside Russia target infrastructure key to the latter's war effort, in response to Moscow's continued strikes on Ukraine's territory.

- REUTERS