Deadly Drone Strike in Nikopol: 5 Killed, 25 Injured Amid Russia’s Intensified Daytime Attacks.
A Russia drone strike hit a busy covered market in Nikopol on Saturday morning, killing five civilians and injuring 25 others, officials reported, as Moscow escalates daytime assaults on Ukrainian cities.
The attack occurred at 9:50 a.m. local time (0650 GMT) in the eastern city, marking a shift from Russia’s usual night raids. Local authorities confirmed three women and two men were among the dead, while a 14-year-old girl is in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces reported continued Russian attacks in other regions: six people were wounded in Kharkiv, near the frontline, while 11 were injured in overnight strikes in Sumy region, targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure. The Ukrainian Air Force intercepted 260 of 286 drones launched overnight.
In the south, Kherson saw one woman killed and two wounded in a separate attack, and in Russia, a missile and drone strike on the Rostov region left one dead and four seriously injured in Taganrog. A cargo ship on the Sea of Azov was also damaged by falling drone debris and caught fire.
Meanwhile, a nighttime Ukrainian drone strike in Russian-occupied Lugansk killed a family of three, including an eight-year-old child, targeting railway infrastructure.
On the diplomatic front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, made a surprise visit to Istanbul for security talks with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amid stalled negotiations with Russia. Zelensky has indicated willingness for a truce over Orthodox Easter, but Moscow says it has not received formal proposals.
The conflict, compounded by tensions in the Middle East, continues to stall peace talks. Zelensky told reporters that he invited a U.S. delegation to Ukraine to help relaunch negotiations with Moscow, saying:
“The delegation will do everything possible in the current conditions — during the war with Iran — to come to Kyiv. If it does not work out with three parties, let’s do it this way.”
The strike on Nikopol highlights the growing intensity and risk to civilians as the war enters another dangerous phase.
