Moscow strikes kill five in Ukraine, refinery hit in Russia

Kyiv: A new round of Moscow's shelling and drone attacks killed five people in Ukraine Sunday, authorities said, while Kyiv hit an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region.

There was no reduction in hostilities on the frontline, even as the United States and Russia agreed to hold a summit in a bid to resolve the conflict, which, so far doesn't include Ukraine.

"Three people killed, one wounded in Zaporizhzhia region as a result of Russian shelling," Ukraine's national police said, adding that two more civilians died in the highly contested Donetsk region in the east.


Meantime, three beachgoers were killed in the Black Sea coastal city of Odesa, after they tripped on a mine while swimming in a prohibited area, which was mined to fend off a potential Russian navy attack.

The Ukrainian army claimed its drones had hit a large oil refinery in Russia's western Saratov region, almost 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) away from the front line.

The Saratov governor, Roman Busargin, only gave a vague comment saying that "one of the industrial enterprises was damaged," adding that one person died as a result of the drone attack.

Another woman died in Russia's region of Belgorod, often under Ukrainian fire due to its proximity to the frontline, the local governor said.

Kyiv is trying to hamper Moscow's ability to fund the more than three-year war of attrition by attacking its oil and gas facilities, the key sources fuelling the state budget.

Ukraine's military claimed to have taken back the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region from the Russian army, which has made significant recent gains.

The focus of the Russian offensive is on eastern Ukraine, where it has stepped up gains in recent months against its less well-equipped opponents.

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the US state of Alaska this Friday to try to resolve the grinding conflict, despite warnings from Ukraine and Europe that Kyiv must be part of negotiations.