Russian drone strike kills 5 as Moscow pledges response to Ukraine attacks
A Russian drone strike has killed five people in the northern town of Pryluky in Chernihiv region, including three members of one family, Ukrainian authorities said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Thursday morning that a local first responder's wife, daughter and one-year-old grandson were killed in the attack.
Regional Governor Viacheslav Chaus said the family was among five people killed when Russia launched six drones to attack the town overnight.
Six others were admitted to hospital, he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed the attacks and accused Moscow of 'constantly trying to buy time for itself to continue killing.
'When it does not feel strong enough condemnation and pressure from the world – it kills again,' he wrote on X.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched 103 drones and one ballistic missile overnight targeting the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro and Kherson regions.
'This is yet another reason to impose maximum sanctions and put pressure together. We expect action from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who can really help change these terrible circumstances,' he urged.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, 18 people were injured, including four children, in a Russian drone attack, Klymenko said.
Resident Anastasiia Meleshchenk told the Reuters news agency that the overnight strike had flown into her neighbour's apartment, and she managed to run out into the hallway with her child.
'Yesterday, workers had just finished repair work in my apartment after the previous attack,' she said.
There was no immediate comment from Russia.
In Russia, Ukraine's military said it struck missile systems in the Bryansk region, which it said were preparing to attack Ukraine.
The attacks come days after Ukraine targeted four of Russia's military airfields in Siberia and the far north in an operation using 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched from containers close to the targets, codenamed 'Spider's Web'.
Russia also accused it of blowing up rail bridges in the south of the country, killing seven people.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia will respond to the attacks as and when its military sees fit.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that the warplanes that were held in the facilities were damaged and would be restored.
Two US officials told Reuters that Washington assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit and about 10 were destroyed.
In recent weeks, fighting and aerial attacks have escalated despite the two warring sides holding direct talks in Turkiye aimed at ending the conflict.
Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera's John Hendren said, the 'US embassy has warned US citizens here in Ukraine that major strikes are to come.
'Donald Trump, the US president, said in a conversation with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin that lasted about an hour and 15 minutes that Putin was going to have to retaliate for the strikes on Russian airfields,' Hendren said.
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The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
