Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – At least five people were killed and nearly 70 others wounded on Thursday when a Russian strike hit a shopping centre in Pavlograd, central Ukraine, the authorities announced.

The attack came as both sides step up long-range barrages on each other hundreds of kilometres behind the front lines, increasingly targeting civilian sites alongside factories, refineries, warehouses and ports.

According to statistics verified by the United Nations, civilian deaths in Ukraine are running at their highest rate since the first months after Russia invaded in February 2022.

"The Russians struck a shopping centre in Pavlograd city centre. It happened in broad daylight whilst the streets were packed with people," Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said on Telegram.

Regional governor Oleksandr Ganja gave an updated toll of five dead and 67 wounded, including eight children, as well as damage to commercial premises and vehicles.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called it "deliberate terror against civilians".

"Russia is systematically attacking places where it knows people will be spending their time going about their daily lives, seeking to maximise casualties, spread fear, and put pressure on Ukrainian society," he added.

"This is a tactic of coercion. Russia believes that relentless attacks on civilians can exhaust Ukrainians and force Ukraine into concessions."

Just over the border in Russia's Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone strike on the town of Novy Oskol killed one person and wounded six others, according to the rescue services.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that talks on ending Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II could happen this month but the Kremlin has said it was "too early" to discuss a venue or dates.

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