Damage caused by a Russian missile strike on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, 15 September 2024. Photo: Ivan Fedorov

Two people were killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa and three in the country’s central Zaporizhzhia region as Russia launched aerial attacks on the two areas on Saturday, local authorities reported.

A married couple were killed and a 65-year-old woman was hospitalised with shrapnel wounds following a Russian strike on the outskirts of Odesa on Saturday evening, Odesa region Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Law enforcement agencies in the area were “documenting the consequences of another terrorist act by the Russians”, Kiper said. He added that the attack was reportedly carried out with cluster munitions, whose use is banned under international law.

Zaporizhzhia region Governor Ivan Fedorov said that three men aged 41, 59 and 61 had been killed in a Russian missile strike on a farm near the town of Hulyaipole on Saturday afternoon, commenting that “Russia is a country that does not have a right to exist” having carried out a total of 275 strikes on the region using missiles, drones and artillery on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Air Force said on Sunday morning that Russia had launched three missiles and 14 drones at the Odesa region overnight, with one missile and 10 drones intercepted by the country’s air defences.

“Ukraine needs strong support from our partners to defend lives against Russian terror — air defence, long-range capabilities, support for our warriors. Everything that will help force Russia to end this war”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Sunday, commenting that Russia had attacked Ukraine with around 30 missiles, more than 800 guided aerial bombs and almost 300 drones over the past week.