Russian drones target Kharkiv in Ukraine

Kharkiv — A Russian drone strike on Ukraine’s second-largest city killed two people and wounded 35 late on Saturday, officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Kyiv’s partners to respond to such attacks while seeking peace in the three-year-old war.

The strike on the eastern city of Kharkiv, which damaged a military hospital among other structures, came as Ukraine seeks strong backing from Western allies to pressure Russia into ending its full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour.

Mayor Ihor Terekhov said five children were wounded in the attack, which also damaged several dozen residential buildings and a dormitory housing war refugees.

One survivor, who identified himself as Anton, described running to an adjacent room in his apartment when a drone struck and showered him with shrapnel.

“I had already bid farewell to life,” said the 22-year-old, whose head and left hand were heavily bandaged.

Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday that Russia had launched 111 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, causing damage in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa and Donetsk regions. It said air defences shot down 65 drones and jammed another 35.

Both sides have accused one another in recent days of violating a US-brokered partial ceasefire and Russia has continued sending regular swarms of drones over Ukraine.

In his nightly video address on Saturday, just as the Kharkiv attack was unfolding, Zelensky said Ukraine expected a “serious response” from Western countries to the nearly daily attacks.

“Our partners must understand that these Russian strikes target not only our people, but also all international efforts, diplomatic efforts aimed at ending this war,” he said.

During a summit in Paris last week, European leaders vowed to strengthen Kyiv’s army, while France and Britain tried to expand support for a planned foreign “reassurance force” in the event of a truce with Russia.

French foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X: “Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire proposed by the US. But Russia continues its war crimes, just yesterday in Kharkiv. Who can still believe that Vladimir Putin wants peace?”

A peace effort led by US President Donald Trump, whose administration has sought closer ties with Russia, has sparked fears in Kyiv that Ukraine could be pressured into making far more concessions than Moscow.

Reuters