Kiyev, Mar 04 (V7N) – Russian forces launched a wave of drone and missile strikes overnight on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, killing one teenager and injuring two others. The attack follows a series of strikes on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, intensifying the conflict between the two nations.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia carried out 79 drone attacks across various regions overnight, with Ukrainian air defense forces intercepting and destroying 63 of them. "There was enemy shelling in Kramatorsk. Residential areas were targeted. A teenager was killed," Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko confirmed on Telegram. He added that a man and a woman sustained injuries in the attack.

In a separate incident, a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhia, southwestern Ukraine, injured a civilian and ignited a fire that destroyed a residential building. The blaze spread across 300 square meters before being brought under control.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the Kremlin to stop attacks if it seeks negotiations, Russian officials reported casualties on their side. The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, claimed that 652 Russian civilians, including 23 children, have been killed in Ukrainian attacks along the border.

Both nations deny targeting civilians, but thousands have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began three years ago, with the vast majority of victims being Ukrainian.

Following the latest attacks, Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s desire for peace but condemned Russia’s continued aerial assaults. "Ukraine is fighting for a normal and safe life, for the peace it deserves, which is just and lasting. We want an end to this war. But Russia continues its air terror," he wrote on X.

He further claimed that in the past week alone, Russia launched over 1,000 drone strikes and more than 20 missile attacks aimed at destroying Ukrainian cities and killing civilians.

As tensions escalate, the international community continues to monitor the situation, with diplomatic efforts struggling to bring an end to the prolonged war.