Russia launched a wave of missile, drone, and bomb attacks across Ukraine early Saturday, killing at least five people in what Kharkiv’s mayor described as the city’s most intense assault since the start of the war.
The pre-dawn barrage targeted multiple regions, with Kharkiv—a northeastern city near the Russian border—bearing the brunt. Mayor Igor Terekhov reported that 48 Iranian-made drones, two missiles, and four guided bombs struck the city of 1.4 million residents.
“Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the beginning of the full-scale war,” Terekhov wrote on Telegram around 4:40 a.m. local time, noting that drones were still active overhead.
The attack killed at least three people and injured 17, including two children. Emergency crews pulled a woman alive from the rubble of a high-rise building.
In the southern city of Kherson, Russian shelling killed a couple and damaged apartment blocks, according to regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. In Dnipro, two women—aged 45 and 88—were also injured in strikes, while in the western city of Lutsk, authorities recovered a second fatality from Friday’s attack: a woman in her 20s.
The escalation follows a daring Ukrainian drone operation last weekend that damaged Russian nuclear-capable bombers deep inside Russian territory. In response, President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate.
Despite Ukraine’s recent proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire during peace talks in Istanbul, Russia has dismissed the offer. The Kremlin maintains that the war is “existential” for Russia, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterating demands that include a full Ukrainian withdrawal from four occupied regions, a halt to Western arms deliveries, and a ban on NATO membership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the conditions as outdated ultimatums, calling instead for a three-party summit with Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump to push for a resolution.
AFP
