An overnight Russian drone strike on Kharkiv has claimed the lives of three people, including a young child, while leaving at least 18 others injured, Ukrainian authorities confirmed on Monday.
The Kharkiv regional police reported via Telegram that, “As of now, three people are known to have died, including a small child. 18 people were wounded, including children.”
Emergency teams have warned that residents may still be trapped beneath the rubble of a five-storey apartment block destroyed in the early morning strike.
Mayor Igor Terekhov also disclosed that a separate ballistic missile attack on the city earlier wounded at least 11 people.
The violence extended to the Sumy region, where a 57-year-old woman and a 43-year-old driver sustained injuries after back-to-back attacks involving a bomb and a drone, according to regional military head Oleg Grygorov.
The escalation comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet European leaders in Washington for peace talks. okaynews.com reports that just ahead of his arrival, U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out NATO membership and reclaiming Crimea as possible outcomes for Kyiv.
Despite growing pressure, Zelensky has firmly opposed surrendering the nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia.
Russia has continued advancing, particularly in eastern Ukraine, while offering proposals that Kyiv leave Donbas in return for freezing the frontline around Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
