A Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city killed two individuals and injured 35 at the end of Saturday, officials reported, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Kyiv’s allies to react to such strikes while pursuing peace in the three-year conflict.
Devastating Russian Attack on Kharkiv
The attack on the eastern city of Kharkiv, which destroyed a military hospital among other buildings, was the latest as Ukraine looks for robust support from Western allies to push Russia to stop its all-out invasion of its smaller neighbor.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported five children were injured in the attack, which also destroyed several dozen residential buildings and a war refugee dormitory.
One of the survivors, who gave his name as Anton, said he ran to a nearby room in his apartment when a drone hit and rained shrapnel on him.
“I had already said goodbye to life,” said the 22-year-old, whose head and left hand were bandaged.
Trading Blame for Truce Violations
Ukraine’s air force reported on Sunday that Russia had fired 111 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, resulting in damage in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, and Donetsk areas. It reported that air defense destroyed 65 drones and jammed 35 more.
Russian Defence Ministry reported in a daily report that its troops had hit 140 Ukrainian districts, including military airbases and arms stores. The hospital was not mentioned.
Both sides have been accusing each other in recent days of breaking a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire, and Russia has continued sending repeated waves of drones over Ukraine.
Zelenskyy Calls for Stronger Western Response
In a statement on Sunday, Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine had hoped for a reaction from the U.S. and other allies to the nearly daily attacks and that Moscow had launched over 1,000 drones in the last week.
“Russia is prolonging the war, and we are sharing our partners with complete information regarding the strikes the Russian troops are conducting and the actions they are planning,” he said.
Zelenskyy has also warned in recent days that a spring offensive by Russia is being planned for areas of north-eastern Ukraine.
Russian Concerns Over U.S.-Led Peace Efforts
An effort at peace spearheaded by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose government has pushed for greater alignment with Russia, has caused alarm in Kyiv and Europe that Ukraine might be pushed into offering much greater concessions than Moscow.
At a summit in Paris last week, EU leaders promised to bolster Kyiv’s military, while France and Britain sought to increase backing for a proposed foreign “reassurance force” in case of a ceasefire with Russia.
International Reactions to the Kharkiv Attack
Following the Kharkiv attack, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Russia was flouting a ceasefire that Ukraine was following.
“Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire proposed by the United States. But Russia continues its war crimes, just yesterday in Kharkiv,” he wrote on X. “Who can still believe that Vladimir Putin wants peace?”
