 "Police officers look at a crater made by a drone near apartment houses following Russia's night attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, late Saturday, March 29, 2025. Image- AP")
Russian drone strikes targeted a military hospital, a shopping center and residential buildings in Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv, killing two people and injuring dozens, while US President Donald Trump voiced anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine’s leadership remarks.
The attack in Kharkiv, which severely damaged a military hospital came as Ukraine sought stronger backing from Western allies to pressure Russia into halting its full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 111 drones and a ballistic missile overnight, striking the Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, and Donetsk regions. Air defenses managed to intercept 65 drones and jam 35 others. While Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces had struck 140 locations across Ukraine, including military airfields and ammunition depots, but did not mention the hospital attack.
Amid ongoing hostilities, both sides have accused each other of violating a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire, while Russia continues its widespread drone assaults.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces had attacked “most regions of Ukraine” over the past week. He reported that 1,310 guided aerial bombs, more than 1,000 attack drones—mainly Shaheds—and nine missiles, including ballistic ones, had been launched.
Zelenskyy also accused Russia of prolonging ceasefire talks to gain time and seize more territory, echoing remarks he made earlier in Paris. Zelenskyy said that in the past week, “most regions of Ukraine” had come under Russian attack.
In a post on X, he detailed that Russia had launched 1,310 guided aerial bombs, over 1,000 attack drones—primarily Shaheds—and nine missiles of various types, including ballistic ones.
Zelenskyy also reiterated that “Russia is dragging out the war,” echoing his comments from Thursday in Paris, where he accused Moscow of prolonging ceasefire talks to “buy time and try to grab more land.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRussia’s Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, said its air defense systems shot down six Ukrainian drones. It also claimed Sunday that its troops had taken control of a village in Ukraine’s partly occupied Donetsk region. The Russian claim could not be independently verified, and Ukraine did not comment.
According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximize pressure on Kyiv and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks.
In an early Sunday morning phone interview with NBC News, Trump was referencing comments Putin made Friday about temporarily putting Ukraine under external governance. Trump said he was “angry, pissed off" when Putin “started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility.”
Putin reaffirmed his claim that Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Under Ukraine’s constitution, it is illegal for the country to hold national elections while it’s under martial law.
“If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump told Kristen Welker. “Anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States.”
Nonetheless, Trump reiterated that he and Putin have a “very good relationship.”
With inputs from agencies