At least 10 people, including two children, were killed and 10 injured in Kharkiv after Russia attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and drones overnight, officials said.
A countrywide air raid alert was issued at around 3am local time to warn people against incoming Russian projectiles.
Kharkiv oblast governor Oleh Syniehubov said fires were reported as a result of a ballistic missile attack, which killed four civilians and injured 10, including two children.
Explosions were first reported in Kyiv at around 1.30am local time, the Kyiv Independent reported, followed by more blasts at around 1.40am local time.
The attack came hours after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had visited the eastern front on Friday.
Zelensky said he gave awards to soldiers defending positions near Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian forces were concentrated in preparation for a spring offensive.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said it had summoned Hungary‘s acting charge d’affaires in Kyiv following the detention of Ukrainian nationals transporting a cash-and-gold haul in Budapest.
Zelensky speaks to Saudi crown prince, offers help to down Iranian Shahed drones
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the situation in Iran and the Middle East and restated Kyiv’s offer to help deal with Iranian drones.
“Ukraine has been fighting against (Iranian-designed) ‘Shaheds’ for years, and everyone acknowledges that no other country in the world has such experience,” the war-time president said.
“We are ready to help and expect that our people will also receive the necessary support,” he said.
Death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 10 as Russian missile hits apartment building
Two children were among at least 10 people killed on Saturday in a Russian missile that hit a five-story residential building in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, officials said.
At least 16 others were wounded. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack and called for an international response. He said that Russia struck Ukraine overnight with 29 missiles and 480 drones, targeting energy facilities in Kyiv and other central regions and with damage reported in at least seven other locations across the country.
According to preliminary data, air defence systems downed 19 missiles and 453 drones with hits from 9 missiles and 26 strike drones recorded at 22 locations.
In Kharkiv, in Ukraine’s northeast, emergency workers were combing the rubble, looking for survivors.
Among the dead was a primary schoolteacher and her son, a second-grade student, who were killed in their home and an eighth-grader who also died with her mother, according to the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov.
It’s too dangerous to see my own children, Ukraine’s president Zelensky admits
Zelensky is tired, defiant, misses his family and may not run again as president, but first Ukraine has to win peace, the country’s leader tells the ‘World of Trouble’ podcast with world affairs editor Sam Kiley:
Zelensky in contact with Saudi Arabia about dealing with Iranian drones
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he had spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the situation in Iran and the Middle East and restated Kyiv’s offer to help deal with Iranian drones.
“Ukraine has been fighting against (Iranian-designed) ‘Shaheds’ for years, and everyone acknowledges that no other country in the world has such experience,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media, about his conversation.
“We are ready to help and expect that our people will also receive the necessary support.”
US turns to Ukraine for help in defending against drones
With Iranian drones threatening American bases across the Middle East, the US has turned to Ukraine for help.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has offered up Kyiv’s air defence specialists and cheap drone interceptors, and suggested Ukraine would accept missiles for Patriot systems in exchange.
“We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against ‘Shaheds’ in the Middle East region,” he announced earlier this week, adding that he gave instructions to “provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists” to guarantee security in the region.
Here’s how Ukraine could help the US with its war in Iran:
Controversy as Russian flag returns to Games podium
For the first time in a decade, a Russian flag was raised on a Games podium as the country won two bronze medals in the men’s and women’s downhill standing events at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics.
Russia has been barred from competing under its national symbols for years over doping violations and the war in Ukraine.
The ban remained in place at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics but was lifted for the Paralympics following a decision by the International Paralympic Committee, prompting criticism from several countries.
On Saturday, Russian alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina, 24, took bronze in the women’s downhill standing event, while her compatriot Aleksei Bugaev, 29, finished third in the men’s race.
Britain operating four repair facilities in Ukraine
Britain disclosed on Saturday that it had four facilities used for the maintenance of military equipment in Ukraine, which are being used in the war with Russia.
“From the factory floor to the frontline, the UK is standing with Ukraine,” Luke Pollard, Britain’s Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said in a statement.
The British defence ministry said that as part of their work the four facilities in Ukraine were repairing CVR-T armoured vehicles, Husky support vehicles, L119 light guns and AS-90 artillery systems, which Britain had donated.
Britain has been one of Ukraine’s closest allies since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022, having committed more than 21.8 billion pounds ($29.2 billion) of support to Kyiv.
White House says ‘it does not matter’ if Russia is helping Iran bomb US bases
The White House on Friday addressed reports that Russia may have supplied Iran with information on the location of US military facilities, including ships and aircraft, in the Middle East since the explosion of hostilities last Saturday.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns about the report in an interview with Fox News, saying the administration does not comment on ‘intelligence reports leaked to the press’.
She added: “Whether or not this happened, frankly, it does not really matter, because President Trump and the United States military are absolutely decimating the rogue Iranian terrorist regime.”
A US official told the Washington Post that Moscow may see the move as retaliation for US support to Ukraine since 2022.
Recap: Peace talks on ice during Iran crisis
A new round of US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for this week was postponed because of war in the Middle East, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Right now, because of the situation around Iran, there are not yet the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting,” Zelenskyy said this week. “But as soon as the security situation and the overall political context allow us to resume that trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done.”
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Source: independent.co.uk