A Russian drone attack on a market in southern Ukraine has killed five people and injured 21, including a 14-year-old girl, according to the prosecutor general’s office.
The assault occurred at 09:50 local time (06:50 GMT) in the town of Nikopol, situated across the Dnipro River from territory occupied by Russia since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Photos released by the regional prosecutor depict shattered market kiosks littered with debris of metal and glass.
This comes after at least 15 civilians were killed in drone and missile strikes across Ukraine on Friday.
In a retaliatory strike, Ukraine targeted the southern Russian city of Taganrog overnight, killing at least one person and seriously injuring four, Russian authorities reported.
Nikopol is a frequent target of Russian attacks, and nearly half of the town’s 100,000 residents have left for safety over time. Yet these drones struck in the middle of a busy Saturday morning, leading to a high number of casualties.
The prosecutor added that two men were injured in a second strike on the same location and that the attacks were being investigated as potential war crimes.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched almost 300 drones against the country overnight, with casualties also reported in Kharkiv in the northeast and the Sumy region in the north. Moscow stated it had shot down 85 Ukrainian drones.
Rostov regional governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed that the attack in Taganrog triggered a fire at a logistics company in the city. A Ukrainian defence ministry official attributed casualties to “Russian air defence operations.”
Kyiv also reported two attacks on factories it claimed were part of Russia’s military-industrial complex.
According to the defence official, a “massive attack” was carried out on a plant in Togliatti producing synthetic rubber and petrochemical raw materials.
Later, Ukraine’s Security Service announced that drone strikes had halted production at the Alchevsk metallurgical plant in Russia-occupied Luhansk.
As a result of the second attack in a month, blast furnaces, production workshops, and other vital sections of the factory sustained damage.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky has extended an offer of a truce to Russia for the Easter holidays, but Moscow has yet to respond.
Major daytime Russian attacks, once rare, have been on the rise.
Conversely, a British intelligence assessment indicated that conditions on the eastern frontline are the “most favourable” for Ukraine in 10 months, with Russian troop advances appearing to slow.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts to end the war, led by the United States, have stalled as President Donald Trump and his administration have shifted attention to the conflict in the Middle East.
Last week, Zelensky visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan—all nations recently targeted by Iranian aerial attacks. During his tour, he offered Ukraine’s drone technology and expertise while seeking assistance to counter Russian missile strikes and secure new sources of fuel.
The urgency of these efforts is compounded by surging global oil prices, which threaten Ukraine’s ability to sustain its defence operations, especially as Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure have made the country heavily dependent on fuel imports.
