Russia and Ukraine traded strikes targeting infrastructure overnight, ahead of a United Nations General Assembly where the war in Ukraine is due to be widely discussed.

Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday killed four people, Ukrainian officials said, while also cutting the electricity supply to thousands.

The strikes took place in the cities Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Pavlohrad in the southeastern region of Dnipropetrovsk, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram. The barrage included anti-ship and ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and 212 drones.

The region of Dnipropetrovsk is the country’s industrial heartland, where major production industries are located, including steel-making and machine building.

In the city of Dnipro, four people were killed and six were injured. According to Hanzha, the strike also damaged a local business and a warehouse.

Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery

In Russia, Ukrainian drones killed one person and injured four in the Samara region, local authorities said. The region is home to important facilities, including oil refineries.

Moscow’s Defence Ministry said it had intercepted 297 drones over various regions in Russia overnight.

Samara is located some 1,000km southeast of Russian capital Moscow.

Zelenskyy attends UN General Assembly

Russia and Ukraine have both stepped up attacks recently, as the war has dragged on for four and a half years with no end in sight.

Both parties deny targeting civilians, while also blaming each other for civilian casualties.

The latest attacks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planning to meet US counterpart Donald Trump in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not expected at the UN General Assembly.

DW