Russia said on Monday that a Ukrainian attack on a bus in the border region of Belgorod killed five civilians, including a minor, and seriously injured three others.
The attack followed a Ukrainian retaliatory attack on Moscow, with city officials reporting that more than 400 drones targeted the Russian capital.
The latest increase followed Russian ballistic missile attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities over the weekend.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian attacks on Pavlograd and Kramatorsk killed two people in each city, according to local officials.
Officials also reported that one person was killed in the southern city of Zaporizhia during Russian bombing.
Both sides have previously denied targeting civilians.
Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Moscow
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Ukraine targeted the Russian capital with more than 400 drones from Sunday to Monday.
He said most of the drones were intercepted, but Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said at least 10 people were injured by Ukrainian drones.
Many residential buildings and civil infrastructure were also damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were targeting Russian logistics facilities and an oil depot in the area.
“We are responding appropriately to every Russian attack against our cities and communities,” Zelensky said in a post on Twitter.
Ukraine rejects rumors of reshuffle in military leadership
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military publicly denied rumors that Zelensky was firing the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky.
Zelensky has faced criticism over last week’s firing of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Fedorov’s removal has been followed by protests across Ukraine for several days, as a long-running dispute between the reformist minister and Syrsky has come out into the open.
Zelensky appointed acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Yevheny Khmara as acting defense minister and asked parliament to approve him for the post.
On Monday, he posted several messages on social media showing him meeting with Ukraine’s top military commanders to discuss the latest developments in the war, which has been going on for more than four years.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez
Don’t let algorithms hide news. If you rely on our team for reliable reporting, please take a moment Choose us as your favorite source on GoogleThat’s why you’ll always see our verified news first.