Russian drone attack kills 3, leaves 10 injured day after Trump tells Putin to ‘stop’ strikes

Just a day after US President Donald Trump rebuked Vladimir Putin for deadly missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, at least three civilians were killed and ten others injured when a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Pavlohrad, a city in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, in a late-night attack, officials said on Friday. Among the victims were a child and a 76-year-old woman, according to regional governor Serhii Lysak.**

The strike came just a day after one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv in recent months, where a barrage of missiles and drones killed at least 12 people and injured nearly 90 others. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched a total of 103 Shahed and decoy drones targeting five regions overnight. While infrastructure was damaged in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, no additional casualties were reported there.

Trump calls out Putin over Kyiv attack

On Thursday, Trump slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin following Thursday’s devastating attack on Kyiv. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Trump’s remarks come amid growing frustration over stalled peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, was scheduled to meet Putin in Moscow on Friday — their second meeting this month. Meanwhile, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are both expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, though it remains unclear if the two will meet separately.

Zelenskyy slams fresh Russian ground offensive

Following the missile and drone strikes on Kyiv, President Zelenskyy said Russian forces used the attack as cover to intensify their ground assault, launching nearly 150 offensives across the 1,000-km frontline. *“When the maximum of our forces was focused on defence against missiles and drones, the Russians went on to significantly intensify their ground attacks,”* he wrote on Telegram.

Zelenskyy also revealed that Ukraine had agreed to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire 44 days ago, but said Russia continues to launch attacks — including recent deadly strikes in Sumy, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia. Western European leaders have accused Putin of prolonging the conflict to seize more Ukrainian territory, even as peace efforts remain stalled.

Meanwhile, Trump has accused Zelenskyy of refusing to compromise by not agreeing to surrender Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The Ukrainian president has firmly stated that any recognition of occupied territory as Russian remains a red line.