At least eight people were killed in the latest wave of missile and drone attacks across Russian and Ukrainian-controlled territory, according to local officials on both sides.
The attacks came after one of Russia’s heaviest bombardments of Kyiv since the start of the war. Moscow had vowed retaliation after accusing Ukraine of carrying out a drone strike on a student dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk.
Ukraine denied targeting civilians and said its forces had struck an elite Russian drone command unit in the area.
In the Russian-controlled eastern Ukrainian town of Horlivka, four people were killed, including two teenagers, according to local officials.
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In Russia’s Belgorod region, one man was killed and another was injured in a missile and drone attack. Local authorities said the strike also damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted power and water supplies.
Ukrainian officials reported additional casualties from Russian strikes in several regions.
In the southern Kherson region, two people were killed and 16 others were wounded in shelling, missile and drone attacks over the past 24 hours, according to regional officials.
Near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, one person was killed and two others were injured in what officials said appeared to be a Russian missile attack on the town of Derhachi.
More injuries were also reported in the southeastern regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. Local authorities said eight people were wounded, including a six-year-old boy.
Emergency services in Dnipropetrovsk said a drone hit a nine-story apartment building in the town of Pavlohrad. Photos released by officials showed thick black smoke rising from the damaged building.
The reports could not be independently verified. Russia and Ukraine both deny deliberately targeting civilians.
The latest attacks come as U.S.-led mediation efforts have so far failed to end the war. Both sides continue to accuse each other of escalating the conflict.
Ukraine has said it plans to send reinforcements to its northern regions amid concerns that Russia may be preparing a new offensive.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for renewed diplomatic efforts to end the fighting as missile and drone strikes continue across the region.
A related video showed the reported drone strike in Pavlohrad, where officials said a residential high-rise was hit.
Pavlohrad today. A Shahed drone launched by Russian fascists struck a residential high-rise.
One person was killed and at least five others were injured, including a 6-year-old boy. pic.twitter.com/ivBg9a8c4I
— распад и неуважение (@VictorKvert2008) May 25, 2026
