Russia fired five glide bombs at the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 15 people, three of them children, and injuring 16 more. The strike targeted residential buildings, leaving large areas in ruins.
Acting mayor Regina Kharchenko, speaking from the scene, described a ground‑floor hit that caused the upper floors to collapse, leaving more than 80 rescue workers searching through the rubble for survivors. “Our very heart” was struck and “our littlest ones” were among those killed, she said, adding the deaths amount to “awful grief for their families and for the city.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that 13 other regions were hit overnight and that Ukrainian responses to these strikes will come. The attacks followed the United States’ announcement of a diesel import deal with Russia, a move he has called a gift to President Vladimir Putin that prolongs war.
The city of Zaporizhzhia, home to more than 700,000 residents and located less than 10 miles from the front line, has become a frequent target of Russian drone and missile attacks. Civilian casualties in Ukraine have risen sharply, with the United Nations reporting a 55% increase in the first eight months of 2026.
