Ukraine says Russian missile attack on Kremenchuk kills two, injures seven

Two people were killed and seven others injured in a Russian missile attack on the city of Kremenchuk in Ukraine's Poltava region, according to preliminary reports from Ukrainian officials.

Details of the strike, including the exact target and extent of damage, were still being assessed at the time the reports were issued. Casualty figures were described as preliminary and could be revised as authorities continue to examine the aftermath of the attack.

Context of the strike

Kremenchuk, an industrial city in central Ukraine, has previously been the site of Russian strikes during the ongoing war. Ukrainian authorities have regularly reported on missile and drone attacks against cities across the country, often providing casualty figures and descriptions of damage to civilian and industrial infrastructure.

Russia's Defense Ministry has, in other instances, stated that strikes in the area targeted facilities it says were linked to Ukrainian military production, though such claims and Ukrainian accounts of the same incidents frequently differ and are reported separately by each side.

Ukrainian officials have not provided further details on the target of Wednesday's strike beyond the reported casualties. Independent verification of claims from either side regarding specific strikes in the region is often not immediately possible.

The attack adds to the continuing toll of the war on cities across Ukraine, which has faced repeated strikes on both front-line and rear areas since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.