At least 4 civilians were killed and 20 wounded in Russian overnight attacks across Ukraine, with Odesa and Zaporizhzhia accounting for all reported deaths, Zelenskyy said.
2 people died and 10 were injured in a missile strike on Odesa, including children; another 2 were killed and 5 hurt in Zaporizhzhia, while shelling also injured 3 in Kharkiv and hit five other regions.
Moscow has intensified strategic bombing of civilian areas as Ukraine presses the battlefield and strikes Russian oil facilities, attacks that have contributed to severe fuel shortages in Russia.
The strikes came as Zelenskyy confronted a domestic backlash over firing Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose removal sparked nationwide protests and further demonstrations expected Friday.
Zelenskyy wants Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara to replace him, but parliamentary recess and a legal requirement that the defense minister be a civilian could delay formal approval until after mid-August.