By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Authorities say Russia launched a massive drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, hitting a high-rise residential block, triggering fires, and injuring 46 people. The strike, one of several in recent days, has underscored calls for peace in the more than three-year-long war.
Between burning buildings and debris, terrified residents are being brought to an ambulance for urgent medical attention. A woman sitting in an ambulance could be seen visibly upset.
There are scores of victims here in Kharkiv, one of several locations that authorities say have come under Russian attacks in recent days.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said strikes occurred over the weekend in 12 locations in four central districts of the city.
The city has become a repeated target of Russian air attacks, lying 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the country’s northeastern border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attacks, saying, “Russia strikes dwellings when Ukrainians are in their homes when they are putting their children to bed.”
MORE ATTACKS
Several people were also injured in a Russian joint drone and artillery attack on localities east of Nikopol in the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
In southern Ukraine’s Kherson region, a village resident reportedly died when a fallen drone exploded as he was trying to carry it away from a house.
However, Russian residents suffer too. In Russia, the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar region was struck in what local sources called a “massive attack” from Ukrainian forces.
Three apartment blocks in the port area of Novorossiysk were damaged, reportedly injuring numerous people, including children.
Separately, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated Friday that its forces were continuing to create a “security strip” in border areas of northern Ukraine’s Sumy region after driving Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region, just across the border in western Russia.
The latest attacks have underscored international calls for peace. Late Pope Francis often prayed for peace and repeatedly called for an end to the suffering in a war that is thought to have killed and injured more than 1 million people.
SPECIAL MEETING
Last month, while thousands of mourners gathered outside St. Peter’s Basilica for the funeral of Pope Francis, U.S President Donald J. Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Voldymyr Zelenskyy sat huddled inside beneath an 18th century painting of the baptism of Jesus. “It was a beautiful meeting, I tell you, it was the nicest office I’ve ever seen,” Trump told reporters.
“It was a beautiful scene.” he added. The 15-minute impromptu meeting in Vatican City was to mend fences following the two leader’s disastrous February 28 meeting at the Oval Office in the White House .
The United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that Washington hasn’t given up hope yet that peace can be established in Ukraine.
He said a deal signed Wednesday that will give Washington access to Ukraine’s vast critical minerals and natural resources was also a message to Moscow.
“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Bessent stressed.
Moscow has pledged to introduce a three-day ceasefire from May 7 through May 9.
But as they watch their homes burn, residents here in Kharkiv and other cities are hoping for permanent peace to end Europe’s deadliest conflict in decades.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A government ban on major social media platforms that enraged young Nepalis has spiraled into the country’s deadliest political violence in decades, with authorities saying Sunday that at least 72 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during protests reflecting years of frustration over corruption, inequality, and “curbs on freedoms.”
Throughout the Hill Country, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope are written on memorials honoring nearly 150 killed from the catastrophic July 4 flash flood.
The NATO military alliance has begun rolling out its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. NATO leaders said the new equipment is aimed at deterring potential Russian aggression after at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish territory and Romania also reported a violation of its airspace.
Israel’s surprise strike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar showcased its growing arsenal of advanced ballistic missiles and its ability to deploy them at long range with precision, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.
More than 100,000 people packed into central London on Saturday for what organizers billed as the largest free speech rally in British history. The “Unite the Kingdom” march, spearheaded by activist Tommy Robinson, featured a live video appearance by billionaire Elon Musk and a tribute to slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Christians in Pakistan’s flood-hit Punjab province were among those struggling to survive Thursday, while in Indonesia, at least 19 people were confirmed dead after flash floods struck the tourist island of Bali and other regions as deadly monsoon waters swept across parts of South Asia.
Much of the world is mourning after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the born-again Christian conservative leader, who inspired his generation and whose widow praised him as a loving husband with a deep faith in Jesus Christ.