Four people were killed in a "massive" wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine Monday, officials said, as authorities in the Russian border city of Belgorod evacuated hundreds due to Ukrainian shelling.
Russia on Tuesday rained missiles on Ukraine's two main cities, killing four people and injuring dozens while 250,000 consumers in the capital region were left without power in near-freezing temperatures.
President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Moscow will intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine after an unprecedented attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod.
Russia said Saturday that a Ukrainian strike killed at least 14 people and injured 108 in the city of Belgorod, a day after Russian strikes killed dozens in Ukraine.
A former Russian soldier has sought asylum in the Netherlands and wants to testify at the International Criminal Court about war crimes by Russia that he witnessed while fighting in Ukraine, a Dutch legal source told Reuters on Tuesday.