KHARKIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Two people were killed in a Russian strike on eastern Ukraine on Thursday and at least 33 were wounded when Russian glide bombs struck a residential neighbourhood in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, regional officials said.
The Donetsk regional prosecutor's office in eastern Ukraine said the two deaths were in the city of Kostiantynivka, where 12 people were also wounded.
In Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 10-year-old child and a month-old infant were among those hurt when Ukraine's second-largest city was hit by two glide bombs - air-launched munitions fitted with wings and satellite-aided navigation to extend their range and precision.
"These are utterly senseless strikes with no military purpose whatsoever," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X.
Thick black smoke billowed above the northern district of Kharkiv where a local business and an apartment bloc were damaged. Stunned residents fled, with some clutching children and flames engulfing parked cars.
"I looked around and everything was smashed," said Yevhen Hanushchak, holding a crate with his cat outside a damaged apartment building. "Tons of smoke, people running and screaming, grabbing their things."
Russia, which denies targeting civilians, has stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian towns and cities since talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in its nearly 3-1/2 year-old-war in Ukraine stalled this year.
Glide bombs have been particularly devastating in areas closer to the battlefield. The regional prosecutors said Thursday's attack was launched nearly 100 km (62 miles) away.
Ukraine, Russia attack each other's Black Sea coasts
Earlier today, Ukraine and Russia launched air attacks along each other's Black Sea coasts early on Thursday, hours after brief direct talks between them failed to make any progress on steps to end nearly three-and-a-half years of war.
Russian forces staged the latest in a series of mass drone attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, injuring at least four people and causing several fires as well as damage in the historic centre, a UNESCO world heritage site. The famous Pryvoz market in Odesa was among the places hit, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said. "It is not just a place of trade, it is the living heart of Odesa," he added.
On Thursday morning, some residents were cleaning up shattered glass in the streets nearby.
"So what if the (drones) are flying? We will shoot them down; they will not break us," Yevhen, a 20-year-old student among those helping with the cleanup, told Reuters.
Emergency officials in Russia's Krasnodar region on the Black Sea said debris from a falling drone struck and killed a woman in the Adler district near the resort city of Sochi. A second woman was being treated in hospital for serious injuries, they said on the Telegram messaging app.
The administrative head of the Sirius federal district south of Sochi said a drone hit an oil base, giving no further details. Russia's aviation authority said operations were suspended at Sochi airport for about four hours.
Russia also attacked the central region of Cherkasy overnight, injuring seven people, including a nine-year-old, and damaging more than a dozen residential apartment buildings.
Negotiators had earlier discussed further prisoner swaps at a brief session of peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, but they remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.
"Yesterday, at a meeting in Istanbul, the Russian side was again presented with a proposal to immediately and completely cease fire. In response, Russian drones are striking residential buildings," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.
He said Russia had launched 103 drones and four missiles during its overnight attack, which deputy prime minister Oleskiy Kuleba said struck civilian infrastructure, including seaports, transport hubs, and residential areas.
Russian forces have in recent weeks intensified drone attacks on towns and cities far from the 1,000 km (620-mile) frontline across eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukraine's military has been targeting energy and military sites in Russia in response to concerted Russian attacks which have destroyed towns and cities and devastated its energy infrastructure.