Russia steps up aerial strikes leaving 6 dead, several injured

A Ukrainian police officer helps a local resident leave her house ruined in the attack in Kostyantynivka. Pic/AP

Russian forces fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa and shelled the eastern Donetsk region early on Wednesday, killing at least six people and damaging dozens of homes, regional Ukrainian officials said.

Russian forces have stepped up aerial strikes in their nearly 16-month war, a Ukrainian military spokesman said, while the country's armed forces have reported limited gains in the early stages of a counteroffensive to take back the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine's territory that is under Russian control.

In Odesa, three food warehouse employees were killed in a strike that also damaged homes, shops and cafes in the city's downtown, the regional administration said on Facebook. Another 13 people were injured and search teams were looking for possible survivors under the rubble.

In eastern Ukraine, Donetsk province governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote on Telegram that at least three people died after shelling destroyed seven homes and damaged dozens more in the cities of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka. Ten towns and villages along the front line in Donetsk were struck as Kyiv's troops slowly advance, according to Ukraine's presidential office.

Kremlin ready to have peace talks, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin's readiness for peace talks. Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since the war began.

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