At least 14 people, including five children, were killed and 37 others wounded in Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s eastern city of Dobropillia and a settlement in Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said Saturday.
Russian forces launched ballistic missiles, multiple rockets, and drone attacks on Dobropillia, damaging eight multi-story buildings and 30 vehicles, according to the ministry. The assault killed 11 people, including five children, and injured 30 others.
In a separate drone strike in Kharkiv region, three civilians were killed, and seven were wounded, the ministry reported.
“Such strikes show that Russia’s objectives have not changed. Therefore, it is crucial to continue protecting lives, strengthening our air defenses, and increasing sanctions against Russia. Everything that helps Putin finance the war must collapse,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on Facebook.
On Friday, Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure in their first major missile assault since the U.S. paused intelligence-sharing with Kyiv. The attack increased pressure on Ukraine as President Donald Trump seeks a swift resolution to the conflict.
Military analysts warn that the halt in U.S. military aid and intelligence support could weaken Ukraine’s air defenses, which are already running low on advanced missiles and struggling to track Russian attacks effectively.
Dobropillia, a city of approximately 28,000 residents before the war, is located in Donetsk region, 22 kilometers (13.67 miles) from the front line near Pokrovsk, a key strategic hub under sustained Russian attack for weeks.
As the U.S. pushes for diplomatic negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, active hostilities persist as both sides seek a strategic advantage.
In Russia, a tank at the Kirishi oil refinery—one of the country’s largest—was damaged by debris from a major Ukrainian overnight drone attack, according to local officials.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have escalated efforts to push Ukrainian troops out of Kursk. Last August, Ukrainian forces launched a lightning incursion over the border, temporarily seizing Russian territory.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its troops reclaimed three villages in the Kursk region on Saturday. Reuters could not independently verify these battlefield reports.
