A Russian overnight drone attack on Kharkiv has killed three people, including a child, and left 18 others wounded, Ukrainian officials confirmed on Monday. Authorities said a five-storey apartment building was struck in the pre-dawn assault, warning that more victims could still be trapped beneath the rubble. Earlier, a Russian ballistic missile also hit the city, injuring at least 11 people, according to Mayor Igor Terekhov.
The strikes extended beyond Kharkiv, with the neighbouring Sumy region also targeted early Monday. Regional military chief Oleg Grygorov reported that a bomb and a drone strike injured a 57-year-old woman and a 43-year-old driver. Both regions, which lie close to the Russian border, have faced intensified bombardments in recent weeks as Moscow seeks to consolidate battlefield gains.
The escalation comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky heads to Washington for critical talks with European allies and U.S. President Donald Trump. Just before Zelensky’s arrival, Trump reiterated that Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO was “off the table,” even as Kyiv continues to resist mounting pressure to cede occupied territories. Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukraine and has floated a proposal for Ukraine to leave Donbas in exchange for freezing the frontline in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Kyiv still holds key cities.
