Wave of Russian drone and missile attacks kill 15 in Ukraine

Wave of Russian Drone and Missile Attacks Kill 15 in Ukraine

On Wednesday evening, Russia initiated a series of drone and missile strikes throughout Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals and injuring 90 others, according to Ukrainian officials. Among the casualties was a 12-year-old boy, who was one of four victims in Kyiv, the capital. In Dnipro, a southeastern city, three people lost their lives during the assault.

Across the border, a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai region claimed the lives of two children, aged five and 14, as reported by the region’s governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, via Telegram. The strikes followed a brief pause in hostilities during Orthodox Easter, when both sides accused each other of numerous breaches.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko shared updates on Telegram, noting that in addition to the capital’s casualties, rescuers discovered a mother and child trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed 16-story residential building in the central Podilsky district. In the northern part of the city, four emergency medical workers were among those wounded by repeated shelling.

Oleksandr Ganzha, the regional administration head of Dnipro, reported three fatalities and many injuries in the city’s central area, with images online showing burning structures. In Odesa, the southern port city, missile and drone attacks led to eight deaths, as stated by the city’s military administration leader, Sergiy Lysak. Kharkiv also experienced a drone strike, injuring a 77-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man, per an official statement.

“Such attacks cannot be normalised. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account,” said Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, on X. He urged other nations to act swiftly by imposing sanctions on Russia or providing support packages for Ukraine. “All decisions required to increase pressure on the aggressor must be unblocked now,” Sybiha emphasized.

The conflict in Ukraine has entered its fifth year, marked by multiple peace talks mediated by the United States. However, the process has been delayed since U.S. President Donald Trump redirected his attention to the Middle East. Kyiv has consistently advocated for a comprehensive and stable ceasefire as the initial step toward a permanent resolution of Russia’s invasion. Moscow, on the other hand, insists on finalizing the peace deal first, leading Kyiv to accuse Russia of lacking genuine commitment to ending the war.