A strike by Russian drones on Ukraine‘s second-largest city has wounded 47 people, officials said.
Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said drones hit 12 locations in the city late on Friday.
Residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and vehicles were damaged in the assault, according to Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Following the attack, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged stronger, more decisive support from the country’s allies.
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“While the world hesitates with decisions, nearly every night in Ukraine turns into a nightmare, costing lives. Ukraine needs strengthened air defence. Strong and real decisions are needed from our partners — the United States, Europe, all our partners who seek peace,” he wrote on X in the early hours of Saturday.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired 183 exploding drones and decoys overnight. Of those, it said, 77 were intercepted by Ukrainian defences, while a further 73 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
The Air Force also reported that Russia launched two ballistic missiles.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 170 Ukrainian drones overnight. The ministry said eight cruise missiles and three guided missiles were also intercepted.
The mayor of the Russian port city of Novorossiisk declared a state of emergency on Saturday after local authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack had damaged a grain terminal and several residential buildings, injuring five people.
Andrei Kravchenko, the mayor of the Russian Black Sea city of Novorossiysk, was shown inspecting damage to three apartment buildings in video released on his official Telegram account.
The video showed debris scattered in front of apartment buildings, a crushed car, blown out windows and balconies hanging off the buildings’ facade.
The latest wave of attacks comes after the US and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, finalising a deal that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv amid concerns US president Donald Trump might scale back support during peace negotiations with Russia. – AP/Reuters
