Russia Launches Deadly Missile and Drone Strikes Across Ukraine, Killing Three Including a Child

Russian forces launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on multiple Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Thursday, leaving three people dead — among them a 12-year-old boy — and wounding more than 20 others. The strikes caused widespread destruction across residential areas in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv.

Kyiv bore the brunt of the assault, with Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirming two fatalities: the young boy and a 35-year-old woman. At least 18 residents sustained injuries, six of whom required hospitalization. Emergency crews worked quickly to rescue a mother and her child trapped inside a damaged building in one of the city's central districts. A missile struck the sixth floor of an apartment building in the Podil district, while a major fire erupted in a structure in the northern part of the capital. Four emergency medical workers were also reported injured amid the chaos, and debris was scattered across several neighborhoods.

In Dnipro, located in southeastern Ukraine, Governor Oleksandr Ganzha reported one civilian killed and ten others wounded after Russian strikes ignited fires in residential buildings. Images circulating online showed towering flames and thick smoke rising from the affected areas. Air raid alerts remained active in both Kyiv and Dnipro for more than two hours following the initial warnings.

Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, in the northeast, also came under attack, with drone strikes injuring two residents.

The overnight bombardment marks yet another devastating chapter in Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, with civilian infrastructure and residential zones continuing to bear the heaviest toll. International observers and human rights groups have repeatedly condemned the targeting of densely populated areas, calling for urgent accountability and a ceasefire.