A Russian drone strike overnight on Thursday killed five people in central Ukraine, including three members of a single family—a woman, her daughter, and her one-year-old grandson—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed.
The victims were relatives of a local firefighting chief, whose home was struck while he responded to an earlier attack. The strike occurred in Pryluky, a city in central Ukraine, and resulted in multiple homes being engulfed in flames.
Photos from the scene show buildings ablaze in the darkness and, by daylight, charred ruins where homes once stood.
President Zelensky condemned the attack, accusing Russia of using delay tactics to “continue killing” and urged the West to impose “maximum sanctions” and intensify pressure on Moscow.
“When [Russia] does not feel strong enough condemnation and pressure from the world, it kills again,” Zelensky said.
He called on the United States, Europe, and the international community to act swiftly to change what he called “terrible circumstances.”
Elsewhere in Ukraine, a Russian attack on Kharkiv wounded 18 people, including four children, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
The violence continues despite recent diplomatic talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, aimed at ending the war that began in February 2022.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told former U.S. President Donald Trump that Moscow would retaliate after a Ukrainian drone attack destroyed several nuclear-capable Russian military jets over the weekend.
Since the invasion began, tens of thousands have died, entire cities in the east and south have been destroyed, and millions displaced.
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