Russian drone strike on Kharkiv region park kills 6, including 3 children
A Russian drone hit a park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, killing 6 people including 3 children, with the regional governor putting the wounded at 14 and one other outlet at 15.
A Russian drone struck the central park in Nova Vodolaha, a town of about 10,000 people in Kharkiv region, killing 6 people, including 3 children, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. Syniehubov put the number of wounded at 14, while Ukrainian outlet NV.ua reported 15 wounded; neither the regional administration nor the outlets have explained the difference, though both accounts agree on the six dead, including the three children.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone had hit people directly in a park near an ordinary cafe, adding that a girl of just over a year old was killed in her pushchair while out with her family. Regional police said the drone struck the park at a time when it was busy with people, including families with children, according to La Dépêche du Midi.
Ukraine's interior minister, Ihor Vyhivskyi, said families routinely take their children to the park to play, according to Greek outlet in.gr, cited in a later report on a separate Kyiv region strike by .
The attack happened a day before separate Russian strikes killed people in Ukraine's Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, as Ukrainian officials continued to report civilian casualties from strikes across several regions this week, including in residential and industrial areas away from the immediate front line.
Russia's government has not commented on the Nova Vodolaha strike specifically. Russia has previously said its strikes target military and infrastructure sites, denying it hits civilians intentionally, though Ukrainian officials have repeatedly disputed this in relation to earlier attacks on towns and cities well behind the front.
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What we know
- A Russian drone struck the central park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, killing six people including three children, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
- Syniehubov put the number wounded at 14; Ukrainian outlet NV.ua separately reported 15 wounded, a discrepancy neither side has explained.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said a girl of just over a year old was killed in her pushchair.
- Regional police said the drone hit the park while it was busy with families and children.
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The strike adds to a series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns away from the front line this week, including separate deadly strikes in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, underlining the continued civilian toll of the war even as diplomatic contacts between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow continue. Of the strikes reported this week, this is the only one in which children were confirmed among the dead, and the wounded figures are being kept as the governor's and NV.ua's own attributed counts rather than combined into one total.
Sources
Reported by 5 reports from 5 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- La Dépêche du Midi: DIRECT. Guerre en Ukraine : six morts, dont trois enfants, après une frappe russe dans un parc près de Kharkiv, Trump se dit prêt à rencontrer Poutine
- Euromaidan Press: Russian drone kills six in Kharkiv Oblast park, including mother and her 14-month-old in a stroller. Hours later, Ukraine shows photos to US senators
- NV: РФ вдарила дроном по парку на Харківщині: шестеро загиблих, серед них троє дітей, 15 постраждалих
- Delfi Latvia: Krievijas drona uzbrukumā parkā Harkivas apgabalā seši nogalinātie; viņu starpā divi bērni un zīdainis
- TVNET: Krievijas drona uzbrukumā parkā Harkivas apgabalā seši nogalinātie
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Where did the strike happen?
- In the central park of Nova Vodolaha, a town of about 10,000 people in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
- How many people were killed?
- Six people were killed, including three children, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said; he put the wounded at 14, while NV.ua separately reported 15.
- What did Ukrainian officials say about the attack?
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone struck people directly in the park, including a girl of just over a year old who was killed in her pushchair.
This article was written with AI assistance from 5 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.