Ukraine – Five people, including a displaced family of three, were killed in Russian attacks across eastern Ukraine as drone and missile strikes intensified overnight. Ukrainian officials confirmed the casualties on Thursday, warning that continued assaults were complicating ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
In Kharkiv region, a man, his wife, and their 36-year-old son were killed late Wednesday when Russian forces struck a village housing internally displaced civilians. Local authorities confirmed their deaths and described the area as a frequent target in recent weeks.
Elsewhere in Donetsk region, two women were killed in separate strikes on Thursday. Officials released blurred images showing the aftermath of a deadly explosion in Kostyantynivka, where a dozen others were injured. The industrial town, once home to over 70,000 people, has become a flashpoint in Russia’s push to tighten control over eastern Ukraine.
“I emphasize once again: staying in the Donetsk region is extremely dangerous,” said Governor Vadym Filashkin in a public warning, following orders to evacuate families with children from ten frontline settlements, including Dobropillia, a town with a prewar population of 28,000.
In Kharkiv city, a later missile strike wounded 37 people. Among the injured were a 10-year-old girl and two teenagers, ages 17, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. Photos from the scene showed emergency workers pulling civilians from debris and extinguishing fires in residential areas.
Further south, Russian forces launched another wave of drones and missiles overnight, hitting Cherkasy region. Ukrainian emergency services said seven people were injured, including a child. In the southern port city of Odesa, four people were wounded in a drone strike that severely damaged a historic marketplace. Ukraine’s Prime Minister noted that some targeted buildings were protected under UNESCO designation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately disrupting peace efforts. “Russia continues its terror and obstructs diplomacy,” he said in a statement on social media. “That’s why it deserves full-scale sanctions and strikes on its logistics hubs, military bases, and arms factories.”
According to Zelensky, Russia fired 103 Iranian-designed Shahed drones and four missiles during the assault. Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted part of the barrage, though not enough to prevent significant damage and loss of life.
In a retaliatory move, Ukraine launched drone strikes on Russian territory. Regional officials in Sochi said two women were killed and others wounded after a drone exploded in a residential area. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defense systems shot down 39 Ukrainian drones, most of them over southern regions.
The spike in hostilities comes as diplomatic efforts remain fragile. Talks mediated by international partners continue behind closed doors, but the ground reality in Ukraine paints a bleak picture. The latest wave of strikes signals little change in Russia’s battlefield strategy, even as civilian casualties rise and global calls for a ceasefire grow louder.
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