For a second consecutive night, Russian forces pounded Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, injuring three people, igniting massive fires and damaging industrial buildings and kindergartens, officials said Monday.
The latest assault, which lasted through the night, struck Kharkiv’s largest and oldest district.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the attack damaged five industrial buildings at a research and production complex. Emergency crews battled a raging fire that spanned nearly 4,000 square meters.
Drone strikes also tore through 11 apartment buildings, compounding the destruction from a deadly weekend barrage that killed two people and wounded 35.
The bombardment comes just a week after a U.S.-brokered moratorium on attacks targeting energy and Black Sea infrastructure. Both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 57 of 131 drones launched by Russia overnight, alongside two Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
Another 45 drones likely failed to reach their targets due to electronic countermeasures, officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the U.S. and allies to respond, stating that Russia had fired over 1,000 drones in the past week. Moscow, meanwhile, accused Kyiv of striking Russian energy facilities.
Kharkiv’s regional prosecutor’s office accused Russia of committing a “war crime” with Saturday’s strikes, which reportedly wounded military personnel recovering at a hospital.
“Six separate strikes hit the city overnight,” regional spokesperson Dmytro Chubenko said. “Two people were killed in a residential building, and 30 others – including children – were wounded.”
Emergency medical services reported that the attack turned one home into a fiery ruin and damaged office buildings, cars, and garages. Ukraine’s military confirmed that a Shahed drone struck a military hospital, injuring personnel undergoing treatment. Kyiv, which rarely discloses military casualties, did not specify the number of wounded soldiers.
As Russian missiles rain down, diplomatic efforts remain stalled. The Trump administration continues pushing for a cease-fire, but Moscow has rejected a U.S.-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional truce.
“For too long, America’s cease-fire proposal has gone unanswered,” Zelenskyy said Saturday, calling for greater pressure on the Kremlin.
Though both sides agreed to a Black Sea truce last week, Russia insists sanctions must be lifted before it takes effect. Washington’s growing engagement with Moscow, coupled with President Vladimir Putin’s renewed confidence, has further complicated negotiations.
On the battlefield, Russia claims to have captured two villages – Shchebraki in southern Zaporizhzhia and Panteleimonivka in eastern Donetsk.
Putin has also reiterated calls for a “transitional administration” in Ukraine, seeking to oust Zelenskyy and install a Kremlin-friendly government. He has repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy’s legitimacy, as Ukraine suspended elections due to wartime conditions.
