A devastating night unfolded across Ukraine as Russian bombardment claimed the lives of at least 14 civilians, including two children.
Kharkiv experienced severe damage when a ballistic missile targeted a five-story residential building, leading to significant casualties.
According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, the attack resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people, among them a teacher and her 9-year-old son. An additional 15 individuals sustained injuries in the assault.
Video footage from the scene reveals the top two floors of the building engulfed in flames, with debris crumbling as firefighters worked tirelessly to control the blaze.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that the Kremlin launched 480 drones and nearly 30 missiles across the country overnight, intensifying the conflict into Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to X to call for international action, stating, “There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life. Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure.”
The offensive comes as latest estimates show the Kremlin is facing staggering losses in the four-year war.
More than 1.2 million troops have been killed and over 161,000 drones and 81,000 vehicles and fuel tanks destroyed, according to March 7 damage assessments from Ukraine’s military intelligence service.
Meanwhile, Kyiv struck a manufacturing plant in the Russian-occupied Donestk region, used for the storage, preparation and launch of Shahed-type drones.
The war-torn country also reasserted control over more territory in February than Russia captured, marking Ukraine’s first net territorial gains since the Kursk offensive. Ukraine has retaken several settlements in southern regions, the armed forces said.
Ukrainian troops stopped Russian advances towards Zaporizhzhia — home to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe — as part of a three-month defensive operation in the country’s south.
In February, Zelensky claimed his forces had liberated more than 100 miles of Russian-occupied territory in a counteroffensive in the south of Ukraine.
