Russian Drone Strike Kills Baby, Family in Central Ukraine – Zelensky Demands Stronger Global Response
A devastating Russian drone strike overnight on Thursday claimed the lives of five civilians in Pryluky, central Ukraine — including three generations of a single family — prompting renewed calls by President Volodymyr Zelensky for harsher international sanctions against Moscow.
Among the victims were a one-year-old baby, his mother, and grandmother — the family of a local firefighting chief whose own home was struck while he was responding to an earlier drone attack, according to Ukrainian officials.
“This tragedy is yet another consequence of Russia’s attempts to buy time in order to continue killing,” President Zelensky said in an emotional statement. “When the world fails to respond with strong enough condemnation and pressure, Russia kills again.”
Photos released by emergency services show flames engulfing residential homes in the dead of night, with dense smoke filling the sky. A separate image taken at dawn revealed the charred remains of a home, its roof completely destroyed, as a lone firefighter stood amidst the ruins.
In total, five people were killed in the strike, which has further deepened national grief in a country already reeling from more than three years of relentless warfare. The attack on Pryluky underscores a rising wave of aerial assaults that have escalated in recent weeks, despite ongoing negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian representatives.
Zelensky used the moment to renew his appeal for decisive international action: “This is yet another reason to impose maximum sanctions and collective pressure. We are counting on the United States, Europe, and the entire global community to help change these horrific realities.”
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, an attack on the northeastern city of Kharkiv wounded 18 people, including four children, according to Interior Minister Igor Klymenko.
The uptick in hostilities comes just days after a Ukrainian drone strike reportedly destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable military aircraft. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of retaliation in a call with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who later revealed details of the conversation.
Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, tens of thousands have been killed, entire cities reduced to rubble, and millions forced to flee. With each new wave of violence, hopes for a swift end to the war grow dimmer — and calls for global accountability louder.
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