Russia accuses Ukraine of killing at least 12 civilians in occupied Zaporizhzhia; Moscow launches overnight strikes

At least 12 people were killed, including five children, on Saturday (local time) in an overnight drone attack on a holiday camp in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, a region held by Russia, Moscow-installed local authorities said, accusing Kyiv of deliberately targeting civilians.

Here's what we know about the attack

Reuters reported that 19 people were injured in an attack on the resort area of Kyrylivka, situated on the coast of the Sea of Azov near the town of Melitopol, Russian-appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky said. Maria Zakharova, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that Ukrainian drones carried out the attack on "sleeping people" at the camp. She denounced "inhuman crimes" committed by Kyiv, while also referring to an attack on a factory in Russia's Kirov region on Thursday that killed six people.

A video shared online of the holiday camp showed damaged buildings, burned-out cars, and a pile of rubble next to a swimming pool. Balitsky said that Russia's Emergencies Ministry crew retrieved two survivors from the rubble, including a child, and also recovered another body, adding that the rescue operation was complete.

Balitsky said on Telegram, "The enemy saw and understood who it was targeting," and added that authorities in Kyiv were "ignoring any norms of morality and deliberately destroying the civilian population — adults and children." Citing Russian state news agency RIA, Reuters reported that the country's Investigative Committee has opened a terrorism case following the attack.

At least 15 people killed in latest Russia-Ukraine attack

Separately, Ukrainian authorities in the country's northeastern Sumy region said that a Russian drone strike killed three people, taking the death toll to 15, including the 12 killed in the Russian-occupied region of Zaporizhzhia. The strikes came after Russia launched a massive attack on Friday near Kyiv that killed at least 10 people and wounded around 100 others, as part of its relentless cycle of tit-for-tat strikes.

Russia launches overnight attacks

Separately, Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, came under overnight attack from Russian forces early on Sunday, with debris falling and triggering fires in at least three districts, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

According to Ukraine's air force, Russian troops targeted the capital city with ballistic missiles. However, an air alert was lifted roughly 50 minutes later, and the air force rescinded its warning of missile deployment.

The attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Friday, warned that new Russian attacks were likely in the next 48 hours.

Separately, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire on the grounds of the Tyumen Oil Refinery in western Siberia, Tyumen regional Gov. Aleksandr Moor said on Saturday.

Kazakhstan calls for end to Ukraine war

Kazakhstan's president told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Ukraine war should end during a forum in Siberia's Omsk, AFP reported. Sitting next to Putin at the summit, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, "It is a shame, young people are dying... All this has to be stopped," and added that the conflict should be "frozen," while suggesting a return to the Istanbul talks before moving "to a long-awaited peace."

The calls to end the war are growing louder after the United Nations (UN) warned that civilians have been dying in large numbers in the roughly 4.5-year conflict.

The attack comes as both Russia and Ukraine deny attacking civilians in the war launched by Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

(with agency inputs)