A Russian missile strike on the town of Merefa in Kharkiv Oblast on the morning of 4 May 2026 killed five civilians and injured 19, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov reported on Telegram.
"According to preliminary information, the enemy launched a missile strike on Merefa. The territory of an auto service station was damaged," Syniehubov wrote in his initial post, when the toll stood at three dead and eight injured.
He later updated the figures: the dead are two men aged 50 and 63 and two women aged 41 and 52. All 19 injured are receiving medical assistance, according to the head of the Kharkiv OMA.
"The fire has already been extinguished. We are recording damage to private and apartment buildings, 4 shops, and the auto service station. Emergency response teams and all relevant services continue to work at the strike site," Syniehubov said.
The Russian army has been striking Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast almost daily with artillery, drones, or missiles. These attacks hammer civilian areas in a grinding campaign of attrition that has claimed countless lives since the invasion began.
Drone hit on Bezliudivka
Russian forces also attacked the village of Bezliudivka with a UAV. According to preliminary data, a hit was recorded in the area of private residential buildings. Three poeple were injured, Syniehubov said.
Earlier the same morning, a Russian drone struck a bread delivery van in the Chuhuiv district of Kharkiv Oblast, injuring two men, Ukrainska Pravda reports.
New blackouts in four oblasts
New power outages have been recorded in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson oblasts as of the morning of 4 May following Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukrenergo reports on Telegram. Emergency restoration work has begun where security conditions allow.
Electricity consumption is trending downward. As of 09:30 on 4 May, it was 14.7% lower than at the same hour on Friday — the previous working day. Ukrenergo attributes this to rising air temperatures across Ukraine, which has reduced the use of electric heaters, and to clear skies in all regions, which boost output from household solar systems and reduce draws on the central grid.
The company asks consumers to shift active electricity use to the daytime window from 10:00 to 16:00. "In the evening hours, the need for economical electricity consumption remains. Please limit the use of high-power electrical appliances in the evening hours, from 18:00 to 22:00," Ukrenergo advised.
155 Shaheds overnight, 135 down
Overnight on 4 May, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 155 Shahed-type attack UAVs — including jet-powered variants — along with GERBERA and ITALMAS drones and PARODIIA decoys, the Air Force reports on Telegram.
As of 09:00, air defense had shot down or suppressed 135 enemy UAVs across the north, south, and east of the country. Hits from 14 attack UAVs were recorded at 10 locations, with debris from downed drones falling at four more.
Aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine took part in repelling the attack. According to the Air Force, the assault is continuing — several enemy UAVs remain in Ukrainian airspace.
