Plumes of smoke erupt as Ukrainian unit breach mine defences as part of a southern counteroffensive, near Hulyaipole, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on August 27, 2023.  /Handout via REUTERS
Russia

Civilian deaths rise as Russian missiles strike Ukraine

Ukrainian officials said three people were killed in an overnight Russian missile strike on Ukraine, and a fourth was killed in shelling on Monday morning.

KYIV (Reuters) -Three people were killed in an overnight Russian missile strike on Ukraine and a fourth was killed in shelling on Monday morning, Ukrainian officials said.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the three people killed overnight were workers at an industrial facility that was hit in the central Poltava region. Five others were wounded and another person was unaccounted for, he said.

Presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak described the facility as a vegetable oil factory in the Myrhorod district of Poltava region, and posted photos showing the plant in flames. Klymenko said the fire had later been extinguished.

"The people were working the night shift," Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app.

Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of the Kherson region, said a 63-year-old woman had been killed in shelling of the village of Sadove at around 10:40 a.m. (0740 GMT) on Monday.

The Ukrainian military said Russia had launched four missiles from the Black Sea overnight, two of which were shot down.

The military also said the Kryvyi Rih region in central Ukraine had been struck in a missile attack. Local authorities said several private houses had been damaged, but reported no casualties.

Russia, which sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine 18 months ago, did not immediately comment on the reports.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; additional reporting by Anna Pruchnicka; editing by Neil Fullick, Michael Perry, Mark Heinrich and Timothy Heritage)

Moldova Narrowly Backs EU Accession Amid Russia Meddling Claims

COP16 Summit to Address Urgent Threat of Rapid Nature Destruction

Italy's Birth Rate Set to Hit Record Low in 2024, ISTAT Reports

Azores Approves Largest Protected Marine Area in North Atlantic

Gliese 229B Identified as Rare Binary Brown Dwarf System