Russian missiles struck a civilian mail distribution center in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday. At least six employees of the postal center were killed and 14 were injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video on social media that showed a building with blown-out windows, and trucks with "Nova Poshta" written on them parked in front of the building. Nova Poshta means new post in Ukrainian.
"Russian missiles hit the Nova Poshta center — an ordinary civilian object," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app.
The governor of the broader Kharkiv region, Oleh Synehubov, said that several of the injured were in serious condition.
Russian forces in the Belgorod region north of Kharkiv fired S-300 missiles, two of which hit the warehouse, the regional prosecutor's office said.
Russia had no immediate comment, but in the past it has denied targeting civilians. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Russian forces shell Nikopol
Earlier Saturday, Russian forces bolstered their offensive in the east and pummeled swaths of Ukraine, killing at least three civilians and injuring others.
Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian-held town of Nikopol from their stronghold near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Ukrainian local Governor Serhii Lysak said emergency services in Nikopol were working to assess the damage.
Russian forces captured the nuclear plant early in their February 2022 invasion, prompting fears at times of a radiation incident because of shelling in the area.
On Friday night, a Russian missile struck an industrial facility in Kryvyi Rih, the central Ukraine hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, killing a 60-year-old man and seriously wounding his wife, Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said on the Telegram messaging app.
The mayor reported that Russian missiles and drones hit the same place overnight, sparking a fire that was extinguished by Saturday morning. Vilkul did not characterize what was at the site or how it might be linked to the war.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters that Russian forces destroyed the Ukrainian military's fuel and ammunition depots near Kryvyi Rih's local airport.
There was no immediate response from Ukrainian officials to Konashenkov's claim.
Mortars, artillery, tanks, drones
Russian forces attacked southern Ukraine's front-line Kherson region with mortars, artillery, tanks, drones and rocket launchers. One civilian was killed and another was wounded in the mass shelling, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote Saturday in a Telegram post.
Fierce fighting continues around the eastern city of Avdiivka, as Russian forces have intensified their offensive in that area and Ukrainian forces try to repel Russian attacks, Acting Governor Ihor Moroz said Saturday.
According to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, Russian troops have secured minor gains north of Avdiivka. The Washington-based policy institute said Friday that Moscow has suffered "heavy" material and personnel losses in its effort to secure the contested industrial town. It cited geolocated footage from pro-Kremlin "military bloggers" on the ground to support its assessment.
The Ukrainian General Staff claimed on Friday that its forces had damaged or destroyed almost 50 Russian tanks and more than 100 armored vehicles in the fighting near Avdiivka during the previous day.
The claim could not be independently verified, The Associated Press reported.
Russian forces also have been conducting an offensive to retake territory near Kupiansk and the nearby town of Lyman.
Meanwhile, the governor of Russia's southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said Saturday that Ukrainian forces shelled two of the province's districts with mortars and grenade launchers the previous day. According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, no civilians were hurt.
In his daily address Friday, Zelenskyy thanked military personnel in southern Ukraine "who are holding their ground and destroying the occupier day after day."
North Korea condemns U.S.
On Saturday, North Korea condemned the United States for supplying Ukraine with long-range ballistic missiles, saying any strike using them on Russia will only thwart peace efforts.
On Tuesday, Ukraine said it used the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, for the first time, inflicting heavy damage on two airfields in Russian-occupied areas. Kyiv had repeatedly asked Washington for the missiles, while promising not to use them inside Russia.
"The U.S. finally delivered ATACMS ground-to-ground missile system to Ukraine despite the deep concern and strong opposition of the international community," Sin Hong-Chol, North Korea's ambassador to Russia, said in a statement carried by state media KCNA.
The White House recently accused Pyongyang of providing Russia with weapons shipments, calling it a troubling development and raising concerns about the expanded military relationship between the two countries. According to the White House, satellite photos appear to provide evidence of cargo ships shuttling between Russia and North Korea in support of an illicit arms trade bolstering Moscow's war in Ukraine.
