Five people, including three young children, were killed in a Russian drone strike on a private home in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed, as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year war continue to struggle.
The attack occurred late Tuesday in the town of Bohodukhiv, where the family had recently moved in an attempt to escape ongoing Russian shelling, according to Kharkiv regional authorities. The strike completely destroyed the house, leaving the family trapped beneath the rubble.
The Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office identified the victims as twin boys, aged two, their one-year-old sister, and their father, 34. The children’s mother, 35 weeks pregnant, was pulled alive from the wreckage but sustained serious injuries, including burns, a traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, and blast trauma.
Ukraine’s emergency services released images showing firefighters battling a blaze amid the remains of the house, smoke rising through shattered beams and debris.
Mayor Volodymyr Bielyi of Bohodukhiv, a town about 22 kilometers (14 miles) from the Russian border, announced three days of mourning on Facebook. “We have lost what is most precious — our future,” he said. “There are no words to console the family; there is no prayer that could heal the heart of a mother who has lost her children.”
Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the family had been attacked during their first night in the house. The mother has since been released from hospital following treatment for injuries and minor burns.
The tragedy underscores the continuing human cost of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, even as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict proceed slowly.
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