Intense fighting rages in Donbas region's hot spots

KYIV/MOSCOW — Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in heavy fighting in the Donbas region, while Kyiv came under attack from drones early on Monday, officials said.

Fighting was intense this weekend in Donetsk and Lugansk, which make up the industrial Donbas, and Kherson Province in the south.

Russia's defense ministry said on Sunday its forces had repelled efforts by Ukrainian troops to advance in the Donetsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Russia also said it was continuing airstrikes on military and energy targets in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Sunday that the key hot spots in Donbas are Soledar and Bakhmut cities.

"Very heavy fighting is going on there," he said.

Reuters was not able to independently verify reports on the fighting.

Away from the front line, the Ukrainian capital was attacked on Monday by so-called kamikaze drones, wrote Andriy Yermak, head of the president's staff, on Telegram.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko also said on Telegram that several blasts had rocked the central Shevchenkivskyi district, with a Reuters witness reporting three explosions.

The same district was hit by explosions a week ago.

In Russia, authorities said on Sunday that a criminal investigation had been opened after gunmen shot dead 11 people and wounded 15 at a military training ground in the Belgorod region.

Russia's RIA news agency, citing the defense ministry, said two gunmen opened fire with small arms during a training exercise on Saturday, targeting personnel who had volunteered to fight in Ukraine. RIA said the gunmen, who it referred to as "terrorists", were shot dead.

Meanwhile, the European Union stepped up its military support for Ukraine on Monday by launching a mission to train 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers and providing 500 million euros ($487.8 million) more for weapons.

Foreign ministers from the bloc's 27 member states signed off on the decisions at a meeting in Luxembourg.

Several EU nations, including Germany and France, are already training Ukrainians to use modern artillery systems, missile launchers and air defenses they are delivering to Kyiv.

In another development, the United Nations children's agency said on Monday that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the resulting economic fallout have thrown 4 million children into poverty across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a 19 percent increase since 2021.

UNICEF drew its conclusions from a study of data from 22 countries.

Children are bearing the "heaviest burden" of the economic crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine, UNICEF said.

Agencies via Xinhua