Russian strikes hit apartment building, energy sites, killing four, said Ukraine

At least four people were killed and 12 others injured early Saturday after a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said. Three people died in Dnipro and one in Kharkiv as the latest wave of Russian strikes targeted residential and energy infrastructure across the country.

Emergency services reported that a fire broke out in a nine-storey building in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, destroying several apartments. Rescuers recovered three bodies, while two children were among those wounded. In Kharkiv, a worker at an energy company was also killed, local officials confirmed.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a total of 458 drones and 45 missiles, including 32 ballistic missiles. Of these, 406 drones and nine missiles were intercepted. Despite the defences, 25 locations were hit. Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said power was shut off in several regions due to the strikes.

Fighting has intensified around the strategic city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, where both Kyiv and Moscow are seeking to demonstrate battlefield gains to US President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state news agency Tass that work had begun on President Vladimir Putin’s order to prepare plans for a possible nuclear test. Putin’s directive followed Trump’s remarks earlier in the week suggesting Washington might consider resuming atomic tests after three decades.

Russia and Ukraine trade strikes on power infrastructure

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its overnight strikes targeted military and energy facilities that supply Ukrainian forces. Kyiv accused Moscow of continuing its campaign to cripple the national power grid and deprive civilians of essential services in an effort to “weaponise winter”.

Moscow has intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, with near-daily drone and missile attacks causing civilian casualties and widespread damage. At the same time, Ukraine has launched long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries, aiming to reduce Moscow’s oil export revenue used to fund its war effort.

Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts led by the US and its allies, the conflict has shown little sign of abating as both sides continue to escalate strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure nearly four years into the war.