The blast in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine killed a cafe owner who was registered to run in elections seen as an attempt to legitimize Moscow’s illegal annexation of the area.

An explosion near the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Saturday hit a two-storey dwelling, injuring 20 people including five children, and rescuers pulled residents out from under the

Moscow said on Monday it had thwarted a major offensive against its forces in eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian officials dismissed the report and both sides said Kyiv's military had made small gains elsewhere along front lines.

An armoured vehicle rides on a street, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the Ukraine-Russia border in the town of Vovchansk, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine June 5, 2023. Image Credit: Reuters Kyiv: Moscow said on Monday it had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in the south of Ukraine’s Donetsk region but Russia’s main mercenary leader said Russian forces had lost ground around Bakhmut further north.

View of a military vehicle as Ukrainian forces destroy Russian positions in direction of Bakhmut, near Klischiivka, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, in this screengrab taken from a video released on June 4, 2

Mr Zelensky described the blast in Dnipro as a deliberate Russian attack, although Russia has previously denied targeting civilians during its invasion of the neighbouring country. Fires broke out following the alleged strike in a northern district of the city,