Kyiv, July 24 (QNA) - Five people were killed and nine others were injured today as a result of two Russian strikes targeting the city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Vadym Filashkin, governor of the Donetsk region, said Russian forces dropped two aerial bombs on the city this morning, resulting in five dead and nine wounded.

He added that the attack damaged ten private houses, a commercial facility, and the office of the honorary consulate of the Republic of Latvia, calling on residents to evacuate the city near the front lines.

In the capital Kyiv, several explosions were heard this morning after authorities issued a warning of a Russian ballistic missile attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to go to shelters, confirming that air defense systems have been put on alert to deal with aerial threats.

The Russian-Ukrainian war is witnessing a continuous escalation in mutual attacks, as Ukraine has in recent months intensified its long-range strikes on targets inside Russian territory, while Russia continues to launch missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, especially the capital Kyiv.