At least four people were killed and more than 30 injured in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv following a wave of Russian drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said Friday, as both nations intensify aerial assaults despite renewed international calls for a ceasefire.
The overnight strikes on Thursday targeted residential neighborhoods and office buildings, triggering multiple fires, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
“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 agency posted on Telegram.
Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov confirmed the death toll had risen to four, with emergency crews recovering the last victim from beneath the rubble.
Regional Governor Oleg Synegubov said 35 others were wounded in the attack, although Terekhov placed the number at 32.
The assaults were part of a broader escalation, with additional drone strikes reported in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv regions, leaving six people injured.
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Sergiy Lysak said 13 incoming drones were destroyed but acknowledged damage in the city of Dnipro and its outskirts.
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Meanwhile, Russia also reported drone attacks on its territory. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed it intercepted and destroyed 107 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 34 over Kursk and 30 over Oryol.
In the Bryansk region, Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and injured another in a village.
The spike in hostilities comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a negotiated ceasefire between the two warring nations, now in their fourth year of conflict.
Washington recently indicated that both Kyiv and Moscow had agreed in principle to reduce strikes on energy infrastructure—an agreement both sides now accuse each other of violating.
Ukrainian officials are calling on the U.S. to tighten sanctions against Moscow, accusing Russia of breaching commitments made during peace talks in Saudi Arabia last month.
As diplomatic efforts stall and the violence persists, civilians on both sides of the conflict continue to bear the brunt of a war that shows little sign of easing.