Russian forces launched massive drone attacks on Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Sumy Oblast on the evening of 26 March 2025, injuring at least 17 people and damaging dozens of residential buildings, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russia continues its deliberate daily air attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure. Since October 2022, it has systematically targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with extensive missile and drone assaults, aiming to disrupt civilian life. Recently, Russia has concentrated attacks on fewer cities at a time, overwhelming local air defenses and increasing the number of drones that successfully strike residential areas.
Kharkiv attack
At least 13 people were wounded when Russian Shahed-136 drones – for some reason, referred to by their Russian designation as Geran-2 by Kharkiv officials – hit Kharkiv, the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported. The attacks targeted two districts of the city late yesterday.
- In Slobidskyi district, drones struck warehouses near a residential quarter. A 14-year-old girl suffered an explosive injury, while three others — a 5-year-old boy, a 71-year-old man, and a 70-year-old woman — experienced acute shock, according to prosecutors.
- In Kyivskyi district, the attack damaged houses, garages, cars, and civilian business buildings. Nine people suffered injuries and acute stress reactions, including five women and four men, the prosecutor’s office said.
Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Syniehubov provided details of specific drone impacts:
- At 22:25, a drone hit a garden on private property, injuring a woman and damaging about four private houses
- At 21:26, a 79-year-old woman was hurt when a drone hit the ground, with the explosion damaging windows of a residential building
- At 20:52, a 15-year-old boy, a 6-year-old child, a man, and a woman were injured when a strike hit a vegetable warehouse, causing a fire and damaging private properties and two cars
- At 20:49, two women and a man were injured by an explosion that damaged the facade of an apartment building and three cars
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told journalists that a heating plant was damaged in the attack. Kyivskyi district administration head Nelli Kazanzhyieva told Suspilne Kharkiv on 27 March that three microdistricts were shelled within an hour, and a heating facility got destroyed.
Dnipro attack
Russian forces also targeted Dnipro with drones on the evening of 26 March, injuring three people and damaging more than a dozen high-rise buildings and over 60 cars, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration Head Serhii Lysak reported. The attack caused a fire, with detailed information still being clarified.
Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov noted that emergency responders, utility workers, police, and all services were deployed to deal with the aftermath.
A resident named Aryna told Suspilne that her apartment suffered extensive damage:
“This whole side is gone, no balconies, no windows, nothing. Everything flew out. Interior doors flew out.”
Civil infrastructure was damaged in several districts of Dnipro. High-rise buildings were hit, windows were blown out of apartments, and dozens of cars were damaged.
“I was in the bedroom, just fell asleep. There were six explosions. Last time I was thrown all the way to the door, but this time I thought I would go crazy. My mouth is still dry,” local resident Alla told Suspilne.
Sumy attacks
The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that Russian forces also attacked several communities in the region over the past day and night. Krasnopilska community was struck by a missile and 23 guided aerial bombs, destroying a residential building and injuring a civilian.
Drones strikes were recorded in Bezdrytska community recorded drone strikes (5 explosions) that caused a non-residential building to catch fire. Myropilska community was hit by two guided aerial bombs and multiple rocket launcher systems (20 explosions).
Russians reportedly also used FPV drones to drop munitions on several other communities.
Nationwide air attack
Overnight on 27 March starting from 20:00 on 26 March, the Russian army attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 86 Shahed strike drones and decoy UAVs, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
The ballistic missile was launched from Voronezh Oblast, while drones were launched from Millerovo, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as from Chaudy in occupied Crimea. The air attack was repelled by aviation, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Air Force and Defense Forces. The Russian attack affected Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv oblasts, accroding to the report.
“As of 09:00, the downing of 42 Shahed-type strike UAVs (drones of other types) in the south, north, and center of the country has been confirmed. Twenty-six enemy decoy drones were lost on radar (without negative consequences),” the Air Force stated.
The figures suggest that at least 18 drones may have reached their intended targets.
Related:
- Russia attacks Kharkiv and oblast with drones; children among injured
- Ukrainian Air Force strikes Russian troop concentration in Kursk Oblast, military says
- Russian drones injure four civilians overnight
- “Russians erazed my home and took life of my grandmother”: Russia kills, injures civilians across Ukraine
- Defence Blog: Russia tests new drone swarm tactic against Ukrainian cities
- Russian drone attack on Kyiv kills five-year-old girl, her father, injures her mother
- Russia struggles to amass troops underground in Vovchansk as Ukraine detects every move
- Russian aerial attacks kill five civilians in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy oblasts
