Russian attack on Ukraine market kills five

Russian attack on Ukraine market kills five

Russian forces struck a market in southern Ukraine with a drone attack, resulting in five fatalities and 21 injuries, including a 14-year-old girl, according to the prosecutor general’s office. The strike occurred at 09:50 local time (06:50 GMT) in Nikopol, a town located near the Dnipro river, just opposite the land occupied by Russia since its full-scale invasion.

Images shared by the regional prosecutor’s office depict shattered market stalls scattered with metal, glass, and food remnants. This follows at least 15 civilian deaths in drone and missile strikes across the country on Friday. Meanwhile, Ukraine retaliated with a drone and missile strike on the southern Russian city of Taganrog, causing one death and four serious injuries, Russia reported.

Nikopol, a Ukrainian town frequently targeted, has seen nearly half its 100,000 residents evacuate for safety. The strikes on Saturday morning targeted a bustling area, leading to a high casualty count. A second attack on the same location added two more injured individuals, as authorities investigate the incident as a potential war crime.

Russian forces launched nearly 300 drones against Ukraine overnight, with casualties reported in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the northern Sumy region. Moscow claimed to have intercepted 85 Ukrainian drones during the operation. In Taganrog, the attack sparked a fire at a logistics company’s premises, according to Rostov regional governor Yuri Slyusar.

“Russian air defence operations” were cited by a Ukrainian defense ministry official as the cause of the casualties, though the exact responsibility remains under scrutiny.

Kyiv reported two strikes on factories linked to Russia’s military industrial complex. One of these attacks targeted a synthetic rubber plant in Togliatti, while the Security Service of Ukraine noted that a second strike damaged critical facilities at the Alchevsk metallurgical plant in a Russian-occupied area of the Luhansk region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a temporary ceasefire during the Easter holiday period, but Moscow has yet to acknowledge the offer, continuing its military operations. The rise in daytime attacks, previously uncommon, reflects the ongoing conflict’s escalation. These strikes coincide with the stalling of U.S.-led peace initiatives since Donald Trump’s administration redirected focus to the Middle East.