Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 5 people in Ukraine's Kharkiv region and hit several other regions overnight as the air war between Moscow and Kyiv continued on both sides of the border. [1, 2, 3]
A missile struck the town of Merefa in Kharkiv region on May 4, killing 5 people and wounding dozens, according to local officials and reporters at the scene. The attack damaged houses, shops and public buildings in civilian areas far from the front line, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said: "Today during the day, the occupiers attacked civilian infrastructure of a town quite far from the front with a missile." [2, 3]
Ukrainian officials said Russian forces appeared to use an Iskander-type ballistic missile in the Kharkiv strike. The same round of attacks also caused damage in Kherson, Odesa, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions, with Ukraine saying Russian forces fired 269 drones overnight and 249 were shot down or jammed. Kyiv said it also recorded direct hits at 15 locations. [1, 2, 3]
The reported death toll from Russian strikes over the past day varied between 8 and 10, depending on the tally, while the Merefa strike alone left at least 18 people wounded and some reports put the number above 30. [1, 2, 3]
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck Russian oil tankers, a cruise-missile carrier warship and a patrol boat in separate attacks on Russian ports, damaging key oil infrastructure. He said of the tanker attacks: "These tankers were actively used for transporting oil. Now they will not be." [1]
Ukraine also carried out a rare drone strike on Moscow that hit a residential high-rise and caused damage but no casualties, Zelensky said. He added that two more drones were intercepted by Russian air defenses, and said of the capital: "They fear drones may buzz over Red Square." [2]
The next expected developments are further official tallies and damage assessments as both sides continue drone and missile attacks overnight and into the day. [1, 2]
