The death toll in the Ukrainian drone strike on a childcare center in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar on Monday has risen to four, Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova reported on Wednesday.
The victims were aged 13-16, according to the official. Six remain in the hospital, she said.
Earlier, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported that two adults were also hospitalized following what he described as “a massive attack by enemy drones” on the city near the Black Sea coast. He said apartment blocks were also hit and a warehouse caught fire.
“This is how Zelensky’s regime, and he himself, treats children,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said of the attack, condemning Kiev’s “sophisticated murders of children of all ages, from infants to students.”
E-commerce giant Ozon said a drone struck a warehouse in Krasnodar, causing a large fire. All employees were evacuated, the company said on Telegram.
Ukrainian drones also targeted an unspecified industrial site in Nevinnomyssk in neighboring Stavropol Region, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said.
Two civilians were injured in strikes the previous day in Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine, according to the regional emergency services.
Ukraine has stepped up its deep-strike campaign in recent months, targeting energy sites, ports, and warehouses. In many cases, drones have also hit civilian targets, including apartment blocks and fuel trucks on highways.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the strikes will not destroy the country’s economy nor dampen public morale, but will have “exactly the opposite effect.”