47 Injured in Russian Drone Strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s Second-Largest City

KYIV – A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, wounded 47 people, local officials said.

According to Kharkiv’s Mayor Ihor Terekhov, a drone attack struck 12 locations throughout the city late Friday night. The assault resulted in damage to residential areas, civilian infrastructure, and vehicles, as stated by the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov.

Following the attack on Kharkiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged stronger, more decisive support from the country’s allies.

In an early Saturday message on X, it was noted that decision-making on a global level has been slow, allowing almost nightly turmoil to continue in Ukraine, claiming lives. There is a call for enhanced air defense systems in Ukraine, urging decisive and tangible actions from international partners including the United States and Europe, to support the pursuit of peace.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced on Saturday that Russia executed an attack involving 183 explosive drones and additional decoys overnight. Out of these, Ukrainian defenses intercepted 77, while another 73 were likely disrupted electronically. The Air Force also indicated that Russia fired two ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 170 Ukrainian drones overnight. The ministry said eight cruise missiles and three guided missiles were also intercepted.

In southern Russia, four people were injured in a drone strike on the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to Krasnodar Region Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev.

The latest wave of attacks comes after the U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, finalizing a deal months in the making that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv amid concerns that President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia.