Seven Dead After Russian Missile Strikes Apartment Building in Ukraine

A Russian missile strike on a residential building in Kharkiv killed seven people and wounded 10 others, including three children, on Saturday. The attack was part of a massive overnight assault involving 29 missiles and 480 drones targeting Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.

KYIV, Ukraine — Seven people lost their lives and 10 others sustained injuries, including three children, when a Russian missile struck a five-story apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the assault and urged the international community to take action. The president reported that Russia launched a massive overnight bombardment using 29 missiles and 480 drones, focusing on power infrastructure in Kyiv and other central areas, with damage documented in at least seven additional locations nationwide.

Initial reports indicate Ukrainian air defense forces successfully intercepted 19 missiles and 453 drones, while 9 missiles and 26 attack drones found their targets across 22 different sites.

Rescue teams in northeastern Kharkiv continued searching through debris for potential survivors.

The Kyiv region experienced damage from falling debris across three districts, local officials reported. In southern Odesa, authorities deployed 80 firefighters to combat extensive blazes at infrastructure sites following multiple drone strikes. Ukraine’s national railway company Ukrzaliznytsia announced that infrastructure damage necessitated route modifications in the country’s center-west region.

“There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure, and therefore support must continue. We count on active work with the European Union to guarantee greater protection for our people. I am grateful to everyone who helps strengthen our protection.”

Since launching its invasion more than four years ago, Russia has deployed tens of thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones against Ukraine. Moscow has established large-scale domestic manufacturing of these weapons and has bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones in single attacks — exceeding the total used during some complete months in 2024.

Iran has deployed similar drone technology against Middle Eastern nations following joint U.S.-Israeli military operations.

Zelenskyy revealed that the United States had requested Ukrainian assistance in defending against Iranian drones in the Middle East, and he had authorized the provision of equipment and Ukrainian specialists.

The Middle Eastern conflict has shifted international focus from Europe’s largest war since World War II and caused the delay of new U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine that were scheduled for this week.