Zelensky calls Russian airstikes on Kherson 'pure terrorist attacks'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian attacks in Kherson, calling them "pure terrorist attacks."

"There were more than 20 Russian attacks in the Kherson region on this day alone," Zelensky said in his evening video address on Sunday. "Brutal strikes, all over the city - houses, streets, hospitals," he continued.

At least two people were killed and seven injured in a Russian artillery attack on an apartment block in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Sunday, the Ukrainian Unian news agency reported citing the regional military administrator Roman Morchko.

The attack on the city centre targeted two hospitals, which both only sustained minor damage. The reports could not be independently verified.

According to the military administration, Kherson has been the target of repeated Russian attacks from tube artillery, grenade launchers and rocket launchers over the past few days.

Since Saturday alone, the city on the River Dnipro has been bombarded with almost 400 grenades.

Fighting had also been reported from other sections of the front Zelensky said. "Fierce fighting is continuing in dozens of places along the entire front line," he continued. "The most difficult areas are Mariinka, Avdiivka and Bakhmut," he said without providing further details.

The Ukrainian military said on Saturday evening most of the recent fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops has taken place in eastern Ukraine.

On the front line near the town of Avdiivka, 20 Russian attacks have been repelled in the last 24 hours. According to the Ukrainian General Staff's front-line report, the Russians are said to have launched 15 attacks around Bakhmut.

In the contested southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, however, the Ukrainian forces are continuing to hold their new positions on the south side of the Dnipro river.

The Ukrainian military took up positions on the largely Russian-controlled side of the river in the week before last. The military added that the front-line situation in the south and east of the country remains difficult.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than 21 months. The Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in the summer of 2023 fell short of its expectations.