Ukraine war: Gas plant hit in latest Russian strikes

Image source, Kyrylo Tymoshenko/TelegramImage caption, The president's office said four people were killed when residential buildings were hit in the Zaporizhzhia regionBy James FitzGeraldBBC News

More strikes have been reported across Ukraine, days after one of Russia's most intense bombardments of the war.

Officials say a gas production facility and a missile factory in Dnipro were among the latest targets and that at least four people died in one area.

In recent weeks, Russia has looked to target key Ukrainian energy infrastructure, following a series of battlefield setbacks.

Moscow has not yet commented on Thursday's alleged attacks.

Four people died as a result of a strike on residential buildings in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to the president's office.

Meanwhile, missiles hit one of Ukraine's largest cities, Dnipro, said the regional head – causing a fire at an industrial facility and 14 injuries.

The prime minister added that the city's Pivdenmash factory – which produces missiles, among other products – had been bombed.

Nearby, 70 shells were said to have landed around the city of Nikopol, damaging infrastructure and leaving thousands of homes without power and water.

More infrastructure was targeted in the Odesa and Kharkiv regions, causing three injuries in each place, according to updates from officials.

Air defences swung into action in the capital, Kyiv, where military authorities reported that two cruise missiles and two Iranian-made drones had been shot down.

The head of the Lviv region said he did not yet have confirmation that air defences had been operating there as well.

Responding to Thursday's strikes across the country, the head of the president's office accused Russia of attempting a "strike in the back".

Andriy Yermak added that this was a "naïve tactic" that the Ukrainians could withstand.

Has Putin's invasion of Ukraine failed?

Thursday's wide-ranging assault comes two days after dozens of long-range missiles pounded Ukraine, in what was believed to be the most intense barrage since the start of the war.

Late on Tuesday evening, fears were raised of a dangerous escalation in the war when one rocket landed outside Ukraine, killing two people in a village in Poland near the shared border.

Although President Volodymyr Zelensky was at first insistent that this had been fired by Russia, Kyiv's allies said it instead appeared to have been sent by Ukrainian air defences.

However, the head of the Nato military alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said Moscow was ultimately to blame for starting the war in the first place.

Many missiles that were fired by Russia on Tuesday were intercepted – but those that did manage to strike infrastructure targets had the effect of further depleting Ukraine's power reserves.

This has been a recent Russian tactic following a series of battlefield setbacks.

America's top general warned on Wednesday that Kyiv's chances in the short term of winning the war by taking back all Russian-occupied land were "not high, militarily".

Gen Mark Milley acknowledged, however, that there could be a "political solution" in which Russia made a decision to withdraw – saying the invading power was "on its back".

In recent days, there has been optimism on the Ukrainian side following the recapture of Kherson.

Reports have now emerged of civilians being tortured during the Russian occupation of the southern city. Russia has repeatedly denied committing atrocities during the conflict.

In other developments, the Ukrainian government has said a deal that allows it to export of grain by ships on the Black Sea has been extended for another 120 days.

The agreement, which was brokered by the UN and Turkey, has allowed millions of tonnes of produce to be shipped out of Ukraine in recent months – easing worries about global food security.

Before it was implemented in July, Russia had been blocking Ukraine's Black Sea ports.