(BSS/AFP) - A Russian strike on Ukraine killed a woman and a Ukrainian attacks on Sevastopol left the city without power, authorities from both sides said Wednesday.

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up strikes in recent weeks, as US-led talks on ending Europe`s deadliest conflict since World War II remain effectively frozen.

A nighttime drone attack on the city of Balakliya in Ukraine`s Kharkiv region killed a 56-year-old woman, Oleg Synegubov, the head of the regional military administration wrote on Telegram.

A 21-year-old woman suffered an "accute stress reaction" in the attack, which sparked fires and damaged homes.

In Russia-occupied Sevastopol, a Ukrainian attack left the city without electricity, governor Mikhail Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram.

Sevastopol is in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine regularly targets the logistically important territory with missile and drone strikes.

Razvozhayev urged residents to help vulnerable neighbours and reserve phones for emergency communication to save battery and avoid overloading the grid.

"The enemy is once again striking treacherously, attempting to deprive us of normal living conditions and sow panic," he posted.

Russia has pummelled Ukraine with near-daily air barrages of drones and missiles throughout its invasion, now in its fifth year.

Ukraine has stepped up its own strikes, frequently hitting oil depots and refineries in Russia that it says are used to fund the war.