Ukrainian forces have gained ground near Bakhmut as Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s strike on a funeral service “inhuman” and “a completely deliberate act of terrorism”.
It comes after a village where a Russian missile killed at least 52 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war had no military targets, according to Ukraine’s defence minister.
About 60 people, including children, were at a wake in Hroza, in eastern Ukraine, when the missile hit.
Defence minister Rustem Umerov said: “The terrorists deliberately carried out the attack during lunchtime, to ensure a maximum number of casualties.”
“There were no military targets. This is a heinous crime intended to scare Ukrainians.”
Just 24 hours later, another Russian missile killed a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother in the city of Kharkiv, not far away.
The attack also injured 28 people, including an 11-month-old baby, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said.
Elsewhere, according to the latest report from The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian military sources reported a successful offensive south of Bakhmut near Andriivka and advanced in western Zaporizhia Oblast on 6 October.