A Russian drone strike on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv has killed two people and wounded 35, Ukrainian officials said. The attack, which hit a military hospital among other structures, came as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Western allies to respond to such attacks while seeking peace in the three-year-old war.
The strike damaged several dozen residential buildings and a dormitory housing refugees, leaving five children wounded. One survivor described running to an adjacent room after a drone struck his apartment, showering him with shrapnel.
Russia has launched 111 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, causing damage in Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, and Donetsk regions, according to Ukraine’s air force. Air defences shot down 65 drones and jammed another 35.
The US, allies condemn Russia’s actions as war crimes, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying “Who can still believe that Vladimir Putin wants peace?”
President Zelenskiy expects a response from the US and other allies to the near-daily drone attacks, which have damaged over 1,000 districts in Ukraine since January. He warned that Russia is planning a spring offensive in parts of northeastern Ukraine.
A ceasefire brokered by the US has been flouted by Russia, with fears in Kyiv and Europe that Ukraine could be pressured into making far more concessions than Moscow. European leaders vow to strengthen Kyiv’s army and expand support for a planned foreign “reassurance force” in case of a truce with Russia.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/drone-attack-kills-one-ukraines-kharkiv-officials-say-2025-03-29