A Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv left three people dead and 17 injured early Monday morning.
One of the fatalities was a toddler, with multiple reports suggesting the victim was either a 1-year-old or 2-year-old boy. The attack came a day after Russia fired ballistic missiles at the city on Sunday, which left a 13-year-old dead, according to reports. The drone and missile strikes came two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump met in Alaska on Friday. It also occurred hours before Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that among the injured from the attacks were six children between six and 17 years old, reported Reuters. He also mentioned emergency personnel rescuing a woman underneath the rubble from the strikes.
“A woman has just been rescued from under the rubble: she is alive,” Terekhov said in a post on Telegram.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of the president of Ukraine, mentioned the attack in a social media post on X.
“In Kharkiv, after a Russian strike on residential buildings, three people are already confirmed dead — including a child,” Yermak said. “Russia continues to deliberately kill civilians.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also discussed the attack in a post to X. The office accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and said their “terror was intentional.”
“Kharkiv came under Russian drone attack on the night of August 18,” Ukraine’s MFA posted. “The strike hit a five-story residential building, killing at least five people, including a one-year-old child, and injured 20 others, among them at least six children.”
Kharkiv came under Russian drone attack on the night of August 18. The strike hit a five-story residential building, killing at least five people, including a one-year-old child, and injured 20 others, among them at least six children.
Rescue teams continue to search for people… pic.twitter.com/meZEmIhprX
— MFA of Ukraine
(@MFA_Ukraine) August 18, 2025
“Russia deliberately targets civilians,” the MFA account added. “Every strike on a home, every injured child, every life lost proves this terror is intentional. It must be forced toward lasting peace.”
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Additionally, an earlier Russian strike hit the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Two people were injured. An educational facility and many residences were reportedly hit during the attack. Oleh Hryhorov, the head of Sumy’s regional administration, also blasted the attacks and the continuous targeting of Russia on civilian targets.
“The enemy continues to deliberately target civilian infrastructure in the Sumy region — treacherously, at night,” said Hryhorov.
