Russia has deliberately killed a family in one of the Ukrainian regions ahead of a key event for Ukraine in Washington aimed to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called the attack “absolutely demonstrative and cynical,” stressing that it was conducted right before his meeting with US President Donald Trump. 

A few days earlier, the American president hosted Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, greeted with full honors as the US Army rolled out a red carpet in Alaska. During the event, Putin called Ukraine a “brotherly nation,” despite Moscow’s murder of Ukrainian civilians in Russian air assaults. 

After that meeting, Trump dropped his demand for an immediate ceasefire and argued that a quick peace deal could be reached if Zelenskyy agreed to hand over Donbas to Russia, including areas not currently occupied by Russian troops.

Mass civilian casualties

In Kharkiv, seven people were killed, including an 18-month-old child. Nearly 34 others were injured, six of them children. The city declared a day of mourning. Five drones deliberately approached the building from different directions, striking as residents slept inside, Ukrainian authorities say. 

Strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Odesa

Russia also launched missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Odesa. In Zaporizhzhia, three people were killed and another 20 injured. In Odesa, a drone hit an energy facility owned by an Azerbaijani company, threatening Ukraine’s energy security as well as its relations with international partners.

Zelenskyy on Kremlin’s cynical pressure

“Everyone wants a just peace and true security. And at this very moment, the Russians strike Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, residential buildings, our civilian infrastructure. This is the deliberate killing of people by the Russians, the killing of children,” the Ukrainian president emphasizes.

According to him, the attacks are a direct tool of Kremlin pressure on Ukraine and the EU ahead of diplomatic negotiations.

Rescue workers have recovered another body from the rubble of a residential building damaged by Russian strikes in Kharkiv, bringing the death toll to five people, including two children.

According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, there are already four dead, including one child.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov later confirmed the fifth casualty, including a 1.5-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy.

The number of injured has reached 20 people as of 9:30 am, with six children among the casualties, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Rescue teams have saved two people from the debris, and search operations continue.

About five people are currently considered missing, according to Syniehubov.

Russian forces targeted Kharkiv with Geran-2 type drones, with four unmanned aerial vehicles hitting a five-story residential building. The strike caused structural damage and fires broke out in the building.

Mayor Terekhov said that 18 August has been declared a day of mourning in Kharkiv for the victims of the attack.

The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities. The Ukrainian authorities and international organisations qualify these strikes as war crimes by Russia and emphasise that they are of a targeted nature.

Regional casualties mount across Kharkiv Oblast

The deadly strike on Kharkiv was part of broader attacks across the region that left 34 people injured over the past 24 hours. Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 10 settlements throughout Kharkiv Oblast, according to regional authorities.

In Kupiansk, a 43-year-old man was injured in the attacks. The village of Lisne in the Malodanyliv community saw three casualties: two men aged 49 and 51, and a 48-year-old woman.

Russian forces deployed an extensive arsenal against the region, launching one Iskander-M missile and 33 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types. The attack package included 20 Geran-2 drones, two Lancet drones, two Molnia drones, one FPV drone, and five drones of undetermined type. Russian forces also used two guided aerial bombs in the assault.

Infrastructure damage spreads across multiple districts

The strikes damaged civilian infrastructure across four districts. In Kharkiv city, 19 apartment buildings and 25 vehicles sustained damage from the attacks.

Kupiansk district bore significant damage, with apartment and private buildings hit in Kupiansk city and Pidserednie village. The village of Shevchenkove saw damage to an enterprise and six vehicles, while storage facilities were damaged in Hnylytsya village.

Chuhuiv district reported damage to a warehouse and vehicle in Kochetok village, while a private house was damaged in Horokhovatka village in Izium district.

Ground combat intensifies on two fronts

Ukrainian forces recorded 182 combat clashes across the front over the past 24 hours. On the South Slobozhansk direction, Russian forces launched 13 assault attempts against Ukrainian positions near Vovchansk and toward the settlements of Khatnie and Odradne.

The Kupiansk direction saw 12 Russian attacks throughout the day. Ukrainian defense forces repelled Russian assault actions near Zapadne, Kindrashivka, Petropavlivka, and Stepova Novoselivka, as well as attacks directed toward Kupiansk and Nova Kruhliakivka.

The Kremlin is considering two scenarios for the upcoming Alaska summit: an agreement without Ukraine or pressure through cutting aid. According to Corriere della Sera, Russian President Vladimir Putin is offering US President Donald Trump a “convenient way out of the situation,” Kremlin foreign policy adviser Dmitry Suslov says.

Scenario 1: Bilateral deal without Ukraine and Europe

The first option envisions adopting a Russia–US ceasefire plan for Ukraine, negotiated exclusively between Moscow and Washington.

The agreement could include:

• Withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the parts of Donbas they still control,
• Withdrawal of Russian forces from Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv oblasts, but keeping the current front line in other areas, 
• Ukraine is committed not to join NATO.

This would mean continued fighting in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Suslov stressed that renouncing NATO membership is a “mandatory and inevitable condition,” and the final arrangements must include “Ukraine’s demilitarization and constitutional reform toward federalization.”

Scenario 2: Pressure through cutting assistance

Suslov said the second option is that Ukraine and its European partners reject the Kremlin’s proposals. In this case, he suggests Trump could completely end military aid to Kyiv and even halt weapons sales to European countries so they cannot transfer arms to Ukraine.

“This will speed up Ukraine’s defeat and its complete collapse,” he stated.

Suslov believes Trump might take such a step to avoid appearing weak after pressuring Brazil, India, and China to stop importing Russian oil under threat of secondary sanctions.

At the same time, according to the Kremlin adviser, successfully reaching a bilateral deal in Alaska would help ease tensions with China, India, and Brazil and give the US president the chance to claim a “historic achievement.”

Nightly Russian drone attacks again battered Ukraine as missiles and Shaheds rained down on several cities, causing injuries and damage. Local authorities said explosions and fires struck homes and infrastructure across the country as power outages and destruction mounted.

Nightly Russian drone attacks cause destruction across Ukraine

In the late evening of 2 August, Russian forces launched missiles on Mykolaiv and Kherson. The State Emergency Service reported that in Mykolaiv explosions destroyed single-family homes and damaged apartments, igniting fires in a residential district.

The head of Mykolaiv Oblast, Vitalii Kim, said seven people were injured, with four treated on site and three hospitalized. A 57‑year‑old man and a 74‑year‑old man were hospitalized in moderate condition, and a 32‑year‑old man received outpatient care. Kim confirmed that three houses were destroyed, 23 more were damaged, and 12 apartment buildings, six vehicles, a postal branch and a building materials store were also hit. After the attack, parts of Mykolaiv Oblast lost electricity. The head of Kherson Oblast, Oleksandr Prokudin, also reported power outages after evening missile explosions.

Russian forces struck Kharkiv in the night with two Shahed drones. Oleg Synehubov, the head of Kharkiv Oblast, reported that a central district of the city was hit. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said one explosion damaged warehouse buildings near residential areas, with no injuries there. Another drone fell in a forest without detonating.

Synehubov said that explosions in Chuhuiv and Balakliia caused fires in detached homes. In Chuhuiv, Mayor Halyna Minaieva said three women suffered acute stress reactions, and houses had windows and roofs damaged. In Balakliia, city military administrator Vitalii Karabanov said more than ten drones struck one street, setting over ten homes on fire. He confirmed at least one injured person. Casualty numbers there are still being clarified.

In Kyiv, city military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko confirmed a missile strike during the night, with details still unknown.

Lithuanian volunteer organization Blue/Yellow says that Russia’s previous attack on 31 July destroyed its Kyiv warehouse. Lithuanian broadcaster LRT reported that a Shahed drone completely demolished the building used for storing humanitarian aid before shipment to the front. The organization said the warehouse contained mainly helmets and protective vests and that surrounding buildings were also damaged.

Heavy Ukrainian air defense effort

The Air Force of Ukraine reported that between 19:00 on 2 August and early 3 August, Russia attacked with 76 Shahed and decoy drones, and seven missiles, including an Iskander‑M ballistic missile, five S‑300/S‑400 surface‑to‑air missiles used for ground attacks, and one Kh‑22 cruise missile.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 61 air targets: 60 drones and one ballistic missile. Despite this, six missiles and 16 drones struck eight locations, with debris falling in two more places. Air defense units, aviation, radio‑electronic warfare systems and mobile fire teams all took part in repelling the assault.

Casualties from artillery in Kostiantynivka

On the morning of 3 August, Russian forces used artillery against Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast. City military administrator Serhii Horbunov reported that shells hit residential areas, killing one person. He said that Russian troops struck civilian infrastructure and confirmed that the attack resulted in at least one death.

Kharkiv stands in ruins after Russia attacks. Daily strikes have devasted the city and caused over €10 billion in damage to Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov told Report.

According to the city’s head, Russia has been systematically targeting Kharkiv’s civilian infrastructure for over three years. More than 12,000 sites have been destroyed or damaged, and most of them are residential buildings.

“160,000 Kharkiv residents have lost their homes. Explosions every day, destruction every day, and sadly, deaths and injuries,” says Terekhov. 

Thousands of residents are left homeless

The mayor notes that over 9,500 of the destroyed sites are residential buildings, meaning Russian missiles and drones are primarily targeting civilians. Since February 2022, Kharkiv has not seen a single day without shelling.

“Currently, the need for windows exceeds 50,000. Every strike increases this number by another thousand, one and a half, two. The record was more than five thousand in one attack,” the mayor revealed in June.

Reconstruction will require billions

“We are facing massive destruction. The city will need even more funds to rebuild,” Terekhov states, estimating the damage at around €10 billion.

Still, he stressed, “no amount of money can bring back the lives and health lost.”

Terekhov underscored that Kharkiv is under constant attack and that “civilian targets are primarily being hit.”

The scale of destruction and number of victims make it clear: Russia is deliberately devastating Ukraine’s largest city near the border.

Earlier, Russia tested its new modified bomb in an attack on Kharkiv. Children, an infant, and a pregnant woman were among the wounded. A new type of aerial bomb, the UMPB-5, with 250-kg warhead, hit the central part of the city in the first known use of this weapon.

Two airstrikes were launched from over 100 kilometers away. The strikes damaged 20 residential buildings, including 17 apartment blocks in the Shevchenkivskyi and Kholodnohirskyi districts. The blast wave shattered over 600 windows, forming a crater in the street. Seven cars were destroyed by fire, and 18 more were damaged. One industrial facility caught fire, resulting in a large-scale blaze.

Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack against Ukraine during the night of 30 July, causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage across multiple regions. The assault injured at least five people and sparked fires at several enterprises.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia deployed 78 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types, including strike drones of the Iranian-designed Shahed type and decoy drones.

Ukrainian air defense systems successfully neutralized 51 of the attacking drones, with 27 recorded as hitting targets across seven locations and debris from destroyed drones falling in two additional areas.

Three civilians injured in Kharkiv 

The northeastern city of Kharkiv sustained significant damage when Russian drones struck the Shevchenkivskyi and Slobidskyi districts at approximately 1:55 a.m. Three people were injured in the attacks, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, drone strikes damaged a car wash, shattered windows in apartment buildings, and hit a supermarket, while several vehicles caught fire. The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that drone debris injured a 24-year-old woman, a 33-year-old man, and a 62-year-old woman.

Russian forces used “Geran-2” type drones for the city attack. A second strike hit the Slobidskyi district around 2:40 a.m., damaging a non-residential building. Local prosecutors have opened war crimes investigations into both incidents.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast suffers enterprise damage

Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk region resulted in two civilian injuries and significant agricultural losses, according to regional military administration head Serhii Lysak. Ukrainian forces intercepted 24 drones targeting the region, but several strikes reached their intended targets.

In Pavlohrad, a 70-year-old man sustained injuries and required hospitalization after attacks damaged a transport enterprise and triggered multiple fires.

The assault also struck the local railway station, disrupting tracks and contact networks, though Ukraine’s national railway company Ukrzaliznytsia reported no casualties among passengers or staff.

Russian forces deployed FPV drones against three communities in the Synelnykivskyi district, destroying a farm and killing approximately 20 head of cattle, while damaging private enterprises.

In Mezhivska community, FPV drone attacks wounded one woman and destroyed five vehicles.

Previous day’s deadly strike

The latest assault followed a devastating missile attack on 29 July that struck Kamianske in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

That attack partially destroyed a three-story non-residential building and damaged nearby medical facilities, including a maternity hospital and city hospital department.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the death toll reached three people, including 23-year-old pregnant woman Diana, with the total number of casualties rising to 22.