A Russian drone strike on Ukraine's second-largest city killed two people and wounded 35 late on Saturday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Kyiv's partners to respond to such attacks while seeking peace.
The strike on Kharkiv damaged a military hospital among other structures, coinciding with Ukraine's efforts to secure robust support from Western allies to pressure Russia into ending its full-scale invasion. Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that five children were among the wounded, and numerous residential buildings and a dormitory for war refugees were also affected.
One survivor, identified as Anton, recounted the moment a drone struck his apartment, showering him with shrapnel. "I had already bid farewell to life," said the 22-year-old, whose head and left hand were heavily bandaged.
On Sunday, Ukraine's air force stated that Russia had launched 111 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, causing damage in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, and Donetsk regions. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 65 drones and jammed another 35.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces had struck 140 districts in Ukraine, including military airfields and ammunition depots, without mentioning the hospital.
Both sides have recently violated a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire, and Russia has continued to send regular swarms of drones over Ukraine. Zelenskiy stated on Sunday that Ukraine expected a response from the U.S. and other allies to the ongoing attacks, noting that Moscow had fired more than 1,000 drones in the past week. "Russia is dragging out the war, and we are providing our partners with full information on the strikes the Russian army is carrying out and the actions it is preparing for," he said.
Zelenskiy has also warned that Russia is planning further aggression in parts of northeastern Ukraine.
A peace effort led by U.S. President Biden, whose administration has sought closer ties with Russia, has raised concerns in Kyiv and Europe that Ukraine may be pressured into making significant concessions.
During a summit in Paris last week, European leaders pledged to strengthen Kyiv's military, while France and Britain aimed to boost support for a planned foreign coalition in the event of a truce with Russia.
Following the Kharkiv attack, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot remarked that Russia was violating a ceasefire that Ukraine was adhering to. "Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire proposed by the United States. But Russia continues its war crimes, just yesterday in Kharkiv," he wrote. "Who can still believe that Vladimir Putin wants peace?"