Kharkiv strikes kill seven as Ukraine sounds nationwide air alert
Kharkiv strikes kill seven as Ukraine sounds nationwide air alert
Russian missiles and drones pound Ukrainian cities, with Kharkiv hardest hit as Kyiv issues a nationwide air raid alert.
A new night of bombardment across Ukraine left a grim toll in Kharkiv, where at least seven people were killed, including two children, and 10 were injured after Russian missiles and drones struck residential areas. Officials said fires flared in the wake of the attacks, and a countrywide air raid alert was issued around 3am local time to warn residents to take shelter.
In Kyiv, explosions were reported around 1:30am, followed by more blasts at about 1:40am as the strikes rippled across the country. The attacks come as Ukrainian forces have been concentrating for a spring offensive, with Russian units reported in the Donetsk region ahead of renewed pressure on eastern frontlines.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had visited the eastern front on Friday and awarded soldiers defending positions near Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, underscoring Ukraine’s push to bolster security cooperation with partners amid the ongoing war.
Diplomatic tensions also surfaced as Ukraine’s foreign ministry announced it had summoned Hungary’s acting chargé d’affaires in Kyiv after Ukrainian nationals transporting a cash-and-gold haul were detained in Budapest, highlighting the wider spillover effects of the conflict on regional relations.
As Kyiv appeals for more air defense support from Western allies, residents across cities remain in a fragile state of alert. The latest strikes underscore the civilian danger and the resolve of Ukrainians to endure while the country seeks to deter further aggression.
