Russian forces intensified attacks on several Ukrainian cities on Thursday, April 3, 2026, with a day-long barrage of drone strikes on Kharkiv and subsequent ballistic missile attacks on Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia. The escalating conflict raises concerns about the safety of civilians and the potential for further regional instability.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, experienced sustained drone attacks throughout Thursday, injuring at least two people, including an eight-year-aged girl, according to local officials. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported strikes in four city districts via Telegram, with at least 20 impacts recorded. Explosions continued to be reported in the city after 2 a.m. Local time (2300 GMT), according to public broadcaster Suspilne.
Footage from Reuters Television showed firefighters working to extinguish a blaze at a residence struck by a drone, revealing significant damage to the facade and interior of the building.
Further south, in Zaporizhzhia, a Russian attack damaged a high-rise apartment building and a local business, though no injuries were reported, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said. These attacks followed reports of ballistic missile strikes on both Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia overnight, as reported by Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, and Ivan Fedorov.
Meanwhile, across the border in Russia’s Belgorod Region, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that 13 people were injured in a series of drone attacks, with 11 of those injuries occurring in the village of Shebekino. In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that air defense units downed a Ukrainian drone heading towards the capital after midnight, adding that two other drones were intercepted earlier in the day.
The attacks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly “called” the United States seeking a plan for peace, though Russia has not responded to these efforts, according to Adnkronos.
