Prilky, Ukraine (AP) – A nighttime Russian drone strike on Thursday resulted in the death of at least five individuals, including a one-year-old child along with their mother and grandmother, officials reported.
Authorities indicated that six drones struck a residential area just before dawn, injuring nine others. The deceased child was the grandson of the local fire chief, according to Ukrainian Home Minister Ihol Klimenko.
The fire chief, named 50-year-old Oleksandr Levid, remarked, “I returned home to deal with the aftermath,” in a Telegram statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “It turns out that the Sharp Drone hit his house.”
This attack occurred just hours after US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump stated that Putin claimed Russia was “very strong” in response to Ukraine’s unexpected drone attacks on Russian airfields on Sunday.
US-led diplomatic initiatives to halt the escalating Three Years of War continue, yet the conflict remains stagnant with no significant advancements.
The mother of the child feared drone attacks
The one-year-old’s mother, who perished in Prilky, was identified as a police officer named Dalina Shaida, as reported by the Ukrainian national police.
“Today, our hearts ache with sorrow,” the police stated via Telegram. “This is not merely a loss; it has uprooted three generations of lives.”
Lyud Mirahorvnova, 55, a neighbor, stated that Shaida had relocated from her home in Kiev to stay with her parents in Prilky last weekend due to fears of a potential Russian attack on the capital.
“She escaped the Shahed drones in Kiev, but they found her here in Prilky,” Holvnova told The Associated Press.
Firefighters searched through the charred debris, extinguishing the flames that engulfed Shaida’s parents’ home, leaving behind brick remnants and scattered belongings, including toys, clothing, and a family photo album.
The drone strikes the area
With a population of approximately 50,000, Prilky is situated about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the capital, Kiev. The city is distant from the frontline and does not host known military facilities.
The last significant attack on Prilky was last November when a Russian missile struck an administrative building, injuring one individual.
Zelenskyy reported that a total of 103 drones and one ballistic missile targeted multiple regions overnight, including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, and Kherson.
“This is yet another major assault,” Zelenskyy stated. “Another reason to impose as strong sanctions as possible and exert collective pressure.”
US peace efforts remain stalled
After accepting a US ceasefire proposal and expressing willingness to meet with Putin to resolve the deadlock in negotiations, Zelensky remains hopeful that increased international sanctions will compel Russia to consider a settlement. However, Putin has shown a lack of motivation to engage with Zelensky and refuses to compromise.
New German leader Friedrich Merz planned to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, working towards strengthening US support for Western diplomacy and military aid to Ukraine.
According to a statement from the president’s office, Andri Yahmack, a senior aide to the Ukrainian president, met with U.S. officials to accuse the Kremlin of deliberately obstructing ceasefire talks and impeding any progress towards peace, calling for increased pressure on Russia.
Yermak, who traveled to the U.S. as part of the Ukrainian delegation, engaged with top American officials to bolster support for Ukraine’s defense and humanitarian needs, emphasizing the urgent requirement for enhanced air defense capabilities.
Additional injuries reported in Kharkiv
Shortly after, 19 individuals were injured in a Russian drone attack in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, as reported by local governor Ole Snyevbov on Telegram. Among the injured were a child, a pregnant woman, and a 93-year-old woman.
At approximately 1:05 a.m., a Shahed-type drone struck two apartment buildings in the Slobidskyi district, igniting fires and damaging several private vehicles.
“By launching an attack while people sleep at home, the enemy once again demonstrates their insidious terror tactics,” Sinny Khobov stated on Telegram.
Additionally, Russian aircraft dropped four powerful gliding bombs on the southern city of Kherson, resulting in injuries to at least three individuals, according to local authorities.
Russia reports yet another railway explosion
In Russia, state media reported an explosion on Thursday in the Belgorod region, adjacent to Ukraine, as per Russia’s Federal Security Agency.
This incident led to the suspension of 26 trains, as stated by the Russian railway operator.
The event follows President Putin’s description of recent strikes on Russia’s railway infrastructure as “terrorist acts” by Ukrainian saboteurs. Seven fatalities and two train derailments occurred after road and railway bridges were damaged in the Kursk and Bryansk regions of Russia during the night from May 31 to June 1.
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Hannah Alirova and Ilia Noviko of Kiev, Ukraine, and Katie Marie Davis of Manchester, England contributed to this report.
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Source: apnews.com