Toddler, Four Others Killed As Russia Launches 103 Drones, Ballistic Missile Into Ukraine

A 16-month-old was among five people killed in a devastating overnight drone assault by Russia on Ukraine, officials have confirmed.

The attacks, which involved 103 drones and one ballistic missile, struck multiple regions including Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Dnipro, Donetsk, and Kherson.

In the northern city of Pryluky in Chernihiv region, six Iranian-made Shahed drones struck residential areas, sparking massive fires that destroyed at least two buildings.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that among the dead were a toddler and members of a single family, comprising a woman, her daughter, and her one-year-old grandson, who were all killed when a drone hit their home.

“One of the rescuers arrived to deal with the aftermath right at his own home — it turned out that a Shahed drone had struck exactly his house,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a statement on X.

“Tragically, his wife, daughter, and one-year-old grandson were killed. And this is already the 632nd child lost since the full-scale war began. My condolences to all the relatives and loved ones,” he added.

Zelenskyy called the attack another act of terrorism by Russia and renewed calls for increased international pressure.

“Russia constantly tries to buy time to continue its killings. When it doesn’t feel strong enough condemnation and pressure from the world — it kills again,” Zelenskyy said.

“We expect action from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who can really help change these terrible circumstances. Strength matters, and the war can only end through strength,” he added.

In a separate assault on Kharkiv’s Slobidskyi district, 17 people, including four children, were injured, and emergency psychological support was provided to affected residents.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian-occupied areas led to blackouts for tens of thousands of people.

Russian officials in the territories said attacks on energy infrastructure knocked out power for at least 68,000 residents in the Kherson region.

In Zaporizhzhia, authorities claimed ten drones targeted critical energy sites, though casualty and damage details remain unclear.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian strikes had briefly left around 700,000 people without electricity in occupied territories.

Last weekend, Ukraine launched an operation deep inside Russian territory, claiming to have damaged or destroyed up to 40 Russian bomber aircraft.

The strike reportedly targeted the Shaykovka and Soltsy airbases, known to house long-range strategic bombers used in missile attacks against Ukraine.

In a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would retaliate against Ukraine over the attack.

“Such attacks will not go unanswered,” Putin was quoted as saying by Kremlin sources.

However, Russian officials have sought to downplay the scale of the damage. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the state-run TASS news agency that while some aircraft were hit, they were not destroyed.

“The equipment in question, as was also stated by representatives of the Ministry of Defence, was not destroyed but damaged,” Ryabkov said.

“It will be restored,” he added.

Toddler, Four Others Killed As Russia Launches 103 Drones, Ballistic Missile Into Ukraine is first published on The Whistler Newspaper