Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks leading to casualties overnight and into Sunday, according to officials from both countries.

The Russian defense ministry reported that a Ukrainian strike on Crimea on Sunday resulted in the deaths of at least five people, including three children, attributing responsibility to the United States for providing the missiles used in the attack.

Additionally, Russian strikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed one person and injured ten others, as stated by regional governor Oleh Synehubov.

The attack on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula was conducted using five US-provided Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, according to the Russian defense ministry. The ministry claimed four of the missiles were intercepted, while the fifth detonated mid-air. They asserted that US specialists set the missiles' coordinates based on data from US spy satellites. The US, which began supplying Ukraine with these missiles earlier this year, has not responded to these allegations.

Russian state TV footage showed people fleeing a beach, with some being carried away from sun loungers. Authorities in Crimea reported that missile debris had fallen near a beach on Sevastopol's northern side.

Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 has not been recognized internationally, with most of the world still viewing the territory as part of Ukraine.

Kharkiv Strike

In Ukraine, officials confirmed a Russian attack on Kharkiv targeting civilian infrastructure, resulting in one fatality on Sunday. Governor Synehubov mentioned in a Telegram post that initial assessments suggest glide bombs were used.

The attack caused casualties at two different locations in the city, including two teenagers. Some of the injured are in critical condition, Synehubov added.

Russian forces have made efforts to advance in Kharkiv but have faced significant resistance, preventing substantial progress during their recent assaults.

Moreover, a Russian missile strike on Kyiv overnight injured two people and caused damage to dozens of buildings. Six apartment blocks, over twenty private homes, a gas station, and a pharmacy were among the damaged properties. Ukrainian air defense systems intercepted two of the three missiles launched by Russia, stated Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.

Falling missile debris resulted in minor injuries to two individuals who did not require hospitalization, reported regional administrator Ruslan Kravchenko.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces successfully targeted aerial drone facilities in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, as confirmed by Ukraine's navy on Telegram. Satellite imagery corroborated the destruction of storage, training, and control facilities for drones in the region, which is situated east of the Crimean Peninsula.

Guided Bombs

On Saturday, guided bombs deployed by Moscow struck an apartment building in Ukraine's second-largest city, resulting in three deaths and 52 injuries. The incident prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to urge for greater support to counter the threat posed by such weapons.

"This Russian terror through guided bombs must be stopped," Zelenskyy stated on Telegram. "We need decisive actions from our partners to prevent these Russian terrorists and Russian military aviation from causing further harm."

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces used over 2,400 guided bombs on Ukrainian targets in June alone, with around 700 aimed at Kharkiv. Russia has increasingly turned to relatively inexpensive guided bombs, which can be deployed from a distance, reducing risks for its forces in the ongoing conflict.

Decisions on Nuclear Weapons

Samual Ramani from the Royal United Services Institute remarked that Russia has surprised many by intensifying its attacks during spring and summer rather than in winter. "The common expectation in the West was that Russians would resume their winter attacks from previous years," he said, "but they didn't, catching everyone off guard."

On Sunday, Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian lower house of parliament’s defense committee, mentioned that Russia could reconsider its nuclear weapons usage policy timeline in response to increasing threats. "If we see that threats escalate, we might adjust the doctrine concerning the timing of nuclear weapons use," Kartapolov stated.

Russia's 2020 nuclear doctrine outlines scenarios when the president might consider deploying nuclear weapons, including responding to attacks involving nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, or when the state's very existence is threatened.