Russian forces attacked Kharkiv early on Aug. 18 with Shahed-type drones, killing seven people - including a 1.5-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy - and injuring at least 18, local officials said.
Regional governor Oleh Synehubov reported that four drones struck a five-story apartment building in the city’s Industrial District, sparking fires on multiple floors.
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Six residential buildings and 15 cars were damaged.
“During the emergency rescue operations, a young woman and a man were rescued alive from under the rubble. There is information about the presence of other people under the rubble. The work is ongoing,” Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) said.
Five people remain missing. Rescuers reported a fire spanning 900 square meters, while two other drones hit open ground nearby.
The overnight strike came just hours after Kharkiv was hit late on Aug. 17 by a ballistic missile, injuring 11 people and damaging over 10 apartment buildings.
Synehubov later announced that Aug. 18 would be declared a Day of Mourning in the Kharkiv region.
“The Russian drone attack on Kharkiv at dawn today claimed the lives of five people, including two children - aged 1.5 and 16. We all hope this number will not rise, as rubble clearing continues. My sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased,” he wrote.
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The National Police reported that the number of injured had risen to 20, including children.
“They all received injuries of varying severity,” the statement said.
Later, the six victim was confirmed.
Synehubov at 11.32 a.m. reported that the death toll had risen to seven.
“Rescuers discovered another deceased woman on the first floor of the damaged building. Specialized teams continue working at the site of the shelling,” he wrote.
Elsewhere, Russia launched drone attacks on the Odesa region, setting fire to an energy facility and a two-story building. Fires were quickly contained, and no casualties were reported.
In Sumy, a missile strike damaged an educational facility late on Aug. 17, followed by further drone attacks targeting civilian infrastructure the next morning. No casualties were reported, though fires broke out.
According to the Air Force, since 21:00 on Aug. 17 Russia launched four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed attack UAVs and decoy drones of various types.
The assault was repelled by Ukrainian aviation, air defense missile units, electronic warfare, drone units, and mobile fire groups.
“As of 09:00, air defenses had shot down or suppressed 88 Shahed UAVs and decoy drones across the north, south, east, and center of the country,” the report said.
Nevertheless, missile and drone strikes were recorded at 25 locations in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Kyiv regions.
This ongoing news story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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