Deadly Russian Drone Strikes Rock Ukraine Ahead of Key Trump-Zelenskyy Summit

A devastating wave of Russian drone and missile strikes swept across Ukraine overnight, killing at least seven people, including two children, in Kharkiv and injuring dozens more in other regions. The attacks, which saw five Shahed drones directly strike an apartment building in Kharkiv, occurred just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump and European leaders in Washington D.C. for critical peace talks.

Local officials in Kharkiv confirmed the fatalities, with Serhiy Bolvinov, head of Kharkiv National Police’s investigations unit, reporting that an entire family perished on the fifth floor of a residential building. Ukraine’s air force stated Russia launched a massive barrage of 140 drones and four missiles, though 88 drones were successfully intercepted or suppressed. Impacts were reported in at least 25 locations across Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Kyiv regions.

In Zaporizhzhia, Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed three deaths and 23 injuries from missile strikes in the southern region. President Zelenskyy condemned the attacks as an “absolutely demonstrative and cynical Russian strike,” asserting that Moscow aims to pressure Ukraine and undermine diplomatic efforts. Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s influential chief of staff, reiterated that “Russia continues to deliberately kill civilians,” highlighting Moscow’s apparent unwillingness to cease fire despite ongoing international peace initiatives. The timing of these brutal attacks underscores the heightened tensions as international efforts to broker an end to the conflict intensify.

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