Two killed as Russian drones target Ukraine’s second-largest city

Two people have died and 35 others were injured after Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping centre, apartment blocks and other buildings in Kharkiv late on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.

Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Ukraine’s General Staff denounced the “deliberate, targeted shelling” of the military hospital. Among the casualties were “servicemen who were undergoing treatment,” it said.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday.

It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that over the past week “most regions of Ukraine” had come under Russian attack.

Writing on X, he said “1,310 Russian guided aerial bombs, over 1,000 attack drones — mostly ‘Shaheds’ — and nine missiles of various types, including ballistic ones” had been launched against Ukraine.

He repeated his assertion that “Russia is dragging out the war”, echoing comments he made on Thursday in Paris that Moscow is prolonging ceasefire talks “just to buy time and then try to grab more land”.

Meanwhile, Russia’s ministry of defence said its air defence systems shot down six Ukrainian drones.

According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximise pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks.