At least four people lost their lives, and over 30 sustained injuries following Russian drone strikes in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials confirmed on Friday.
The surge in aerial assaults from both Russia and Ukraine continues even as United States President Donald Trump advocates for a ceasefire to bring an end to the costly conflict that has stretched beyond three years.
The strikes late Thursday night targeted residential areas and office buildings in Kharkiv, sparking multiple fires, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service on Telegram.
“Russian drones attacked one of the districts of Kharkiv. As a result of strikes at residential buildings and an administrative building, four fires broke out,” the emergency service reported.
Providing an update on Friday morning, Kharkiv’s mayor, Igor Terekhov, expressed sorrow over the rising death toll.
“Unfortunately, there are already four dead,” he wrote on Telegram, revealing that a fourth victim had been recovered from the rubble after three initial fatalities.
The attack left 35 people wounded, according to Ukraine’s emergency service and regional governor Oleg Synegubov.
Meanwhile, Mayor Terekhov reported the injury toll as 32. Beyond Kharkiv, six others were wounded in separate attacks across the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, local authorities stated, attributing the strikes to Russian forces.
Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak confirmed on Telegram that air defense systems neutralized 13 drones in the area.
“Due to the massive drone attack, there is damage in Dnipro and its suburbs,” he added.
Retaliatory Strikes and Rising Tensions
On the Russian side, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported the interception and destruction of 107 Ukrainian drones overnight. This included 34 drones shot down over the Kursk region and 30 over Oryol.
Meanwhile, in Russia’s Bryansk region, a Ukrainian drone attack in a village led to civilian casualties, according to governor Aleksandr Bogomaz.
“As a result of the attack by Ukrainian drones, two residents of the village received shrapnel wounds. Unfortunately, one man died,” he stated in a Telegram post.
Diplomatic Efforts Amid Escalation
These intensified strikes coincide with a visit to Washington by Russia’s lead economic negotiator for discussions on improving diplomatic relations.
Trump has taken a proactive approach in engaging with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Moscow officials in a bid to negotiate an end to the war.
In March,, Washington announced that both Kyiv and Moscow had separately agreed to explore “developing measures for implementing” a halt on attacks targeting energy infrastructure.
However, the violence has persisted, with both nations lodging complaints with the U.S. over continued strikes on energy sites.
Ukraine has since urged Washington to tighten sanctions on Russia, accusing Moscow of “violating” agreements made during diplomatic talks in Saudi Arabia last month.
