Russian Drone Strike Kills 5 in Northern Ukraine, Including Infant and Family Members

Tone & Political Bias: Center-Leaning

Why: The article focuses on factual reporting of casualties, international reactions, and military developments without emotional framing or political rhetoric; both Ukrainian and Russian actions are presented factually.

Civilian Deaths in Pryluky

A Russian drone strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky early Thursday killed five civilians, including a 1-year-old boy, his mother, and his grandmother, according to Ukrainian officials. Nine other people were injured.

The attack struck a residential neighborhood around dawn. Six Shahed drones hit the area, with one of them destroying the home of the local fire chief, 50-year-old Oleksandr Lebid. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the child killed was Lebid’s grandson.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Lebid had arrived at the scene only to discover his own home was the target. The drone had directly hit his house.

Victims Fled Kyiv Before Attack

The child’s mother, identified as 29-year-old police officer Daryna Shyhyda, had reportedly fled Kyiv just days before the strike due to fear of Russian attacks. She was staying at her parents' home in Pryluky when the drone hit.

“She ran away from Shaheds in Kyiv, but they found her here, in Pryluky,” said neighbor Liudmyla Horbunova.

Photos from the scene show charred debris, scattered toys, and a burnt-out home. Local officials called it a loss of three generations in one strike.

Scale of the Attack

President Zelenskyy stated that over 100 Iranian-made Shahed drones and one ballistic missile targeted multiple regions across Ukraine during the night, including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, and Kherson.

“This is another massive strike,” Zelenskyy said. He urged the international community to impose harsher sanctions on Russia and maintain collective pressure.

Strikes Continue in Kharkiv and Kherson

Later that night, 19 people were injured in another drone attack on Kharkiv. The regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said children, a pregnant woman, and a 93-year-old woman were among the injured. Fires broke out in two apartment buildings, and several vehicles were destroyed.

In Kherson, Russian aircraft dropped four glide bombs, wounding at least three people.

Syniehubov described the timing of the attacks — striking homes while residents were asleep — as a “tactic of insidious terror.”

U.S. and Ukrainian Diplomatic Moves

The drone attacks came hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said Putin strongly suggested Russia would retaliate for recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian military airfields.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak met with senior U.S. officials in Washington. He urged increased American support and stronger air defense systems for Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s presidential website, Yermak accused Russia of intentionally stalling ceasefire negotiations.

President Zelenskyy has supported a U.S.-proposed ceasefire and expressed willingness to meet Putin, though the Russian leader has not agreed to direct talks and has shown no readiness to compromise.

Russian Rail Targeted

In Russia, an explosion damaged a railway line in the Voronezh region, near the Ukrainian border. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed the damage, which halted 26 trains.

Putin recently condemned similar incidents, calling them “terrorist acts” by Ukrainian saboteurs. Over the past week, seven Russians died in related incidents involving damaged bridges and derailed trains in the Kursk and Bryansk regions.

Context

Pryluky, a town of around 50,000 residents, is located roughly 100 kilometers east of Kyiv and is not near the front lines or known military targets. The last time it was attacked was in November 2024.

Ukraine continues to seek stronger international backing, especially from the U.S. and European partners, amid ongoing Russian drone and missile campaigns targeting both military and civilian areas.