Russian drones launched deadly strikes in Ukraine's Donetsk region on Thursday, targeting a multi-storey apartment building in the front-line town of Chasiv Yar. Regional prosecutors reported that two individuals lost their lives, while two others sustained injuries in the attack.

Chasiv Yar, a town situated west of Bakhmut, has faced continuous assaults as Russian forces advance westward in their bid to dominate the Donbas region, which encompasses Donetsk and Luhansk. Bakhmut, a regional hub, fell to Russian control in May 2023 after enduring months of intense combat.

In a separate attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone strike hit a market in Nikopol on Thursday morning. The assault left eight people injured, with seven requiring hospital treatment. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak stated that the strike damaged market stalls and shared details of the incident via the Telegram messaging app.

Nikopol, frequently targeted by Russian attacks, is located across a reservoir from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which remains under Russian occupation.

Elsewhere, Russian forces launched an attack on an industrial zone in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, as reported by regional governor Ivan Fedorov. The strike, which targeted one of the region’s key economic hubs, underscored ongoing tensions and the continued threat to civilian infrastructure in the conflict-affected areas. Despite the severity of the attack, there was a collective sigh of relief as no injuries were reported. Authorities have since been assessing the extent of the damage to the industrial facilities, which play a vital role in the local economy. The incident highlights the precarious situation in Zaporizhzhia, a region that has been at the center of intense military activity.

These recent strikes in eastern Ukraine follow a devastating Russian attack on Christmas Day, which targeted the country’s energy infrastructure and claimed one life in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Despite the onslaught, Ukrainian forces remain resilient. The Ukrainian military announced on Thursday that it had intercepted and destroyed 20 out of 31 drones launched by Russia overnight.