Russian forces launched deadly strikes on Ukraine's eastern region of Poltava and southern region of Kherson late on November 4 after the president of the European Commission concluded a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
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Debris from a rocket damaged several residential buildings in Poltava, killing one woman and injuring others, including children, regional Governor Filip Pronin said on Telegram. The strike on Kherson occurred about 7 p.m. local time and landed near a grocery store, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said, adding that an earlier attack killed a man and injured a woman.
The attacks came after Russia-installed authorities in Crimea said the Ukrainian Army launched a missile strike in the Kerch region on November 4.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-installed governor of occupied Crimea, said that several missiles had been intercepted. Some debris fell in the area of the dry docks of the shipyard, according to RFE/RL. No injuries were reported.
The Ukrainian military later confirmed that its forces had damaged a shipbuilding plant in Kerch.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out successful strikes on the maritime and port infrastructure of the Zaliv Shipyard in the temporarily occupied Crimea," the statement of the Strategic Communications Department of the armed forces said. No further details were provided.
Russian news agencies quoted a Russian Defense Ministry statement as saying one ship was damaged. The statement said Ukraine fired 15 cruise missiles and that air-defense systems destroyed 13 of them.
The attacks were reported after Zelenskiy wrapped up a meeting in Kyiv with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Speaking at a joint news conference, he denied that Ukraine's war with Russia has reached a stalemate, pushing back on comments earlier this week by the commander in chief of the Ukrainian forces.
"Time has passed, people are tired...but this is not a stalemate," Zelenskiy said.
The comment was in response to a question about a statement made by General Valeriy Zaluzhniy in an interview with The Economist on November 1 that the war had "reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate."
Von der Leyen praised reforms in Ukraine, saying the country has made "excellent progress" toward joining the European Union.
"You are fighting an existential war and at the same time you're deeply reforming your country. You have reached many milestones reforming your justice system, curbing the oligarchs' grip, tackling money laundering, and much more," she said.
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Her visit took place ahead of a report the European Union is expected to present next week about Ukraine's progress on its membership bid.
The EU assessment, due on November 8, is expected to detail how far Ukraine has come in fulfilling economic, legal, and other criteria needed to start accession talks, which are expected to be launched in December.
Ukraine applied to join the European Union days after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The EU's 27 members are due at a summit in December to decide whether to allow Kyiv to begin accession negotiations, a move requiring the unanimous backing of all the bloc's members.
Zelenskiy on November 4 announced new reforms aimed at helping Ukraine’s hopes of joining the EU.
"We are continuing the transformation of our state in order to be ready -- realistically -- for full membership in the European Union, in order to adapt all our institutions, all our standards to European rules," Zelenskiy said.
The reforms include a draft law that increases the powers of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Zelenskiy said, adding it “should have been done decades ago.”
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Earlier attacks on Ukraine wounded at least 14 civilians, officials said.
In the village of Zarichne in the Zaporizhzhya region, nine people were in injured in a Russian rocket attack, the head of the regional military administration, Yuriy Malashko, said.
Overall, 26 cities and settlements in the region came under attack over the past day, Malashko said.
Ukraine’s military said earlier that Russian invading forces continue to attack the key eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiyivka, a day after the town’s mayor claimed Moscow is intent on capturing its vast coking plant.
In its daily update, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russia, “with the support of aviation, does not stop trying to surround Avdiyivka."