At least four civilians were killed and five wounded as Russian forces targeted civilian and infrastructure facilities in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson on November 23, officials reported, as Ukraine braces for an uptick in attacks on its energy facilities during the upcoming winter.
Russian artillery struck Chornobayivka in Kherson Region, killing three people and wounding five others, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
Klymenko said that more than 60 residential buildings and commercial facilities were also damaged in the shelling.
In Beryslav, a city some 100 kilometers northeast of Kherson city, a Russian drone struck an old man who was riding a bicycle, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
"The Russian Army killed an elderly resident of Beryslav. Around 11:30 a.m., the occupiers used a drone to attack a cyclist who was riding down the street. Unfortunately, the 70-year-old man received deadly wounds," Prokudin said.
Earlier, a 45-year-old civilian was wounded by Russian shelling in Kherson city, military administration chief Roman Mrochko reported.
Russia has been shelling Kherson from across the Dnieper River since withdrawing to the left bank one year ago as Ukrainian forces liberated the city.
In another southern region, Dnipropetrovsk, the cities of Kryviy Rih and Nikopol and their surroundings were hit overnight, regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said on November 23, adding that there were no casualties.
In the eastern regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, Ukrainian forces fought 74 close-quarter battles over the past 24 hours, the General Staff of Ukraine's military said in its daily report on November 23.
In Kharkiv, Ukrainian troops repelled 12 Russian assaults in and around Synkivka, Petropavlivka, and Ivanivka.
In Donetsk, Ukrainian forces continued their offensive on Bakhmut, the city that fell to Russian troops earlier this year following months of bloody fighting.
Russian forces launched 42 kamikaze drones against Ukrainian positions in the Bakhmut area without success, the military said.
In Avdiyivka, the other flashpoint in Donetsk, Russian forces kept pressing their unsuccessful attempts to surround the industrial city.
The battlefield reports could not be independently verified immediately.