A Russian drone struck a minibus in Kherson, killing two and wounding seven, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said, in the latest attack on civilian areas in southern Ukraine. Officials said a second minibus was hit hours later, wounding the driver, and port infrastructure in Odesa was damaged in a separate strike. Russia said it had taken control of the village of Myropillia in Sumy region, a claim Kyiv didn't immediately answer and which couldn't be independently verified; the incidents come as Kyiv steps up long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities and global oil prices rise amid fighting in the Middle East.

Attack on public transport in Kherson

Two people were killed after a drone struck a minibus in Kherson, local officials said. Seven more people were wounded, Oleksandr Prokudin, regional head, reported. Hours later, Prokudin added, another minibus was attacked and the driver suffered injuries.

The strikes landed in an urban area. They hit civilians travelling locally. Local leaders described the scene as part of a pattern of attacks on populated areas since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago.

Kherson sits near the front line and has been the site of repeated shelling and drone strikes. Public transport and civilian movement are increasingly affected. People who rely on buses and minibuses face heightened risk from sudden strikes. That alters daily routines and limits mobility for work, school and medical visits.

Damage on the Black Sea coast

On the same day, a strike damaged port infrastructure in Odesa, Ukraine's major Black Sea port. Authorities said there were no casualties from that attack.

The damage adds to operational strain at a key commercial hub.

Odesa handles grain and other exports. Even limited damage to port infrastructure can slow loading and logistics. That can raise costs and delay shipments already under strain from wartime conditions and insurance and routing changes.

Claims of ground gains in the north-east

Russian authorities said their forces had taken control of Myropillia in the Sumy region. The claim was posted publicly by Russian channels. Independent verification was not possible and Ukrainian officials didn't immediately comment.

Control of villages along the 1,250-kilometre front line changes the map of immediate tactical control. Even if a single village changes hands, armed units and civilians nearby feel the impact.

Mastheads

Military moves reshape lines of communication and supply for both sides.

Strikes on Russian oil facilities

Russian local officials in the Krasnodar region said a fire at an oil terminal in the Black Sea town of Tuapse was put out after a Ukrainian strike. The terminal and refinery there were struck multiple times in recent weeks. Ukrainian drones have hit Tuapse on four occasions in just over two weeks, local reports said.

Those attacks prompted evacuations and created large smoke plumes. They also illustrate Kyiv's push to hit energy infrastructure in Russia. Ukrainian officials have described such strikes as an attempt to limit Moscow's export revenues, which fund the Russian military effort.

Ukraine's long-range strikes come as global oil prices have been pushed higher by the war between Iran and Israel. The CBC report notes the Iran war has lifted prices and that a related easing of some U.S. Sanctions has helped replenish Kremlin coffers despite the attacks. Higher prices can blunt the budgetary effect of damage to export facilities.

That mix matters for both economies and global markets. Damage to Russian terminals can reduce throughput and complicate exports. But if international prices rise, Moscow can still earn substantial revenue from remaining shipments. That interplay affects how much pressure such strikes place on the Russian state budget.

The strikes on minibuses and port facilities change how people move and how goods flow. In Kherson, injuries and deaths increase the immediate humanitarian need. Medical services and emergency responders must handle more civilian casualties.

At ports like Odesa, damage affects shippers and farmers waiting to export crops. Delays mean goods sit longer on land. That ties up storage and increases costs for exporters and buyers.

Diplomatic efforts between Moscow and Kyiv have produced no ceasefire. Talks mediated by outside parties over the past year didn't result in a lasting halt to fighting. Russia rejected Ukraine's ceasefire offer, according to reporting.

The Iran war has diverted some international attention from Ukraine, the CBC noted. That shift in focus can affect political pressure, aid flows and the pace of diplomatic initiatives. Aid donors and mediators may split attention between multiple crises.

Both sides appear to be widening the geographic scope of their strikes. Ukraine's use of drones at longer range targets economic nodes inside Russia. Russia continues to target civilian areas inside Ukraine. The pattern signals an intensification of tactics on both sides.

Wider targeting increases the risk that essential infrastructure and non-combatant services will be disrupted. That has a toll on civilian life and on the operational logistics for both militaries.

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Ukraine didn't immediately comment on Russia's claim to have taken Myropillia.

This article was created with AI assistance.