An overnight Russian drone strike has killed three toddlers and their father in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region, local authorities confirmed.
Regional head Oleh Synegubov said the attack struck a house in the town of Bohodukhiv, killing two-year-old twins Ivan and Vladyslav, their one-year-old sister Myroslava, and their father Hryhoriy, 34. The children’s mother, Olha, 35, who is pregnant, survived with minor burns.
Family had just relocated
According to officials, the family had recently evacuated from a town near the Russian border due to constant shelling. “It was their first night in the new place,” Synegubov said, describing the strike as “brutal”.
Emergency services reported that the house was completely destroyed in the attack.
Bohodukhiv, located north-west of Kharkiv city, has faced almost daily strikes in recent days. Earlier this week, a 41-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy were killed in the same town.
Renewed wave of attacks
The strike comes amid renewed Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Moscow has intensified pressure by targeting transport and energy infrastructure.
A state of emergency has been declared over the energy situation in the Kharkiv region after a temporary “energy truce” expired last week. Thousands of households are reportedly facing severe power cuts, with many lacking heating and running water amid freezing temperatures.
Meanwhile, Russian officials reported a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike in the Volgograd region, claiming damage to residential and industrial sites.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and hostilities continue despite diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict.