Seven of the victims, including a toddler and her 16-year-old brother, died in an overnight drone strike that tore through a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv.
A Russian drone attack on a residential area in Kharkiv killed seven people including a toddler and a 16-year-old boy as the US presses Kyiv to accept a quick deal to end the war that Moscow started https://t.co/qvnI1a9kIE pic.twitter.com/1R1G4gUfNz
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 18, 2025
KHARKIV, Ukraine – At least 10 people were killed in Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities Monday, hours before President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was due in Washington for talks with Donald Trump over the war’s future.
Seven of the victims, including a toddler and her 16-year-old brother, died in an overnight drone strike that tore through a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv. Local officials said 23 others were wounded. Three more people were killed in a ballistic missile strike on Zaporizhzhia, where 23 were also injured.
Rescue teams carried survivors from the rubble of shattered apartments, while medics attempted to resuscitate the toddler. “An ordinary apartment block… families with small children, a children’s playground,” said resident Olena Yakusheva, holding back tears.
Zelenskiy condemned the strikes as “demonstrative and cynical,” warning that Russia was trying to pressure Ukraine ahead of negotiations.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 140 drones and four missiles overnight, its heaviest drone attack in two weeks. Strikes were recorded at 25 sites in six regions.
Trump, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, has urged Kyiv to consider a peace deal. Zelenskiy has rejected Moscow’s proposals, insisting further concessions would embolden the Kremlin.