Russia launched a massive drone and bombing attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing at least four people and injuring nearly 60, officials said on Saturday.
In a separate incident, two more civilians were killed in Russian attacks on Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, local authorities reported.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the attack late Friday involved 48 drones, two missiles, and four glide bombs. Additional glide bombs reportedly struck the city again on Saturday evening, killing one more person and injuring 18 others.
Eighteen apartment buildings and 13 houses were damaged in the strikes, and a baby and a 14-year-old girl were among the injured. Governor Oleh Syniehubov said one civilian industrial site was targeted by 40 drones, a missile, and four bombs. He warned that more victims might still be buried under the rubble.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha urged allies to increase pressure on Russia and take stronger actions to support Ukraine.
The strikes came just days after Russia said its recent large-scale attacks were retaliation for Ukrainian operations that targeted Russian air bases and railways. On Thursday night, Russia launched more than 400 drones and nearly 40 missiles across Ukraine, killing six people and injuring 80 others.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attacks on Kharkiv “pure terrorism” and said they had “no military sense.” He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of stalling peace efforts while continuing the war, and said global pressure is needed to stop the violence.
Prisoner Swap Agreement Faces New Tensions
Meanwhile, a new prisoner exchange deal between Russia and Ukraine has run into trouble. Both sides had agreed in Istanbul to exchange all sick and seriously wounded prisoners, those under 25, and the bodies of 12,000 soldiers.
However, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky claimed on Saturday that Ukraine had suddenly delayed both the handover of bodies and the prisoner exchange. He said Russia had sent over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies to the agreed location, but Ukrainian representatives did not show up. He also said Russia submitted a list of 640 Ukrainian prisoners to start the exchange.
Ukraine strongly rejected the claims. Its Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War said Russia was not following the agreed rules and had submitted lists that did not match the original terms. It also said Russia was taking “unilateral steps” without coordination and no exchange date had been finalized.
Ukraine’s Drone Campaign Inside Russia
The latest Russian airstrikes follow a bold Ukrainian drone operation last weekend. Ukraine’s security service (SBU) said it struck at least 40 Russian military aircraft during “Operation Spider’s Web.” According to reports, Ukraine used 117 drones that had been smuggled into Russia in hidden compartments on trucks. These drones were later launched remotely from near airbases deep inside Russia.
New video footage released Saturday shows a drone’s entire flight path from that operation.
Trump Comments on Russian Strikes
Former U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the situation, saying that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian airfields gave President Putin “a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them.” Trump claimed that Putin had warned him about a potential response during a phone call.
Background of the War
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Despite several rounds of peace talks, a ceasefire remains out of reach. Ukraine continues to call for an unconditional end to hostilities—something Russia refuses to accept.
