KHARKIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone strike hit a school in northeastern Ukraine, killing multiple civilians, local officials said on Monday.
Ukrainian emergency services reported the attack occurred overnight in a residential area, with the school among the damaged civilian infrastructure. Rescue teams were searching for survivors under rubble, according to statements from regional authorities.
Russia has intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent days, officials in Kyiv said. The strike followed a pattern of assaults that have targeted populated areas, including schools and homes, amid the ongoing conflict.
Ukrainian officials attributed the strike to Russian forces and said it killed at least several civilians, with the exact toll still being determined. Rescue operations continued into Monday, with reports of people trapped in the debris.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the specific incident. Moscow has previously described its strikes as targeting military objectives and has accused Ukraine of using civilian sites for military purposes.
"Children and civilians are paying the price for this aggression," a Ukrainian regional governor said in a statement, as reported by local media. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for stronger international measures to counter Russian aerial attacks.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of continued Russian aerial campaigns across Ukraine. In recent weeks, large-scale attacks involving hundreds of drones and missiles have struck Kyiv, Dnipro and other cities, causing civilian casualties and damage to residential and public buildings.
Details on the precise number of casualties and the extent of damage at the school remained unclear as assessments were ongoing. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted many incoming threats, but some drones reached their targets, officials said.
The escalation follows months of back-and-forth strikes, with both sides reporting civilian impacts from the other's operations. International observers have noted increased risks to civilian infrastructure in the conflict.
As of Monday, emergency crews continued recovery efforts at the site. No further immediate attacks were reported in the area, but air raid alerts remained active across several regions. Diplomatic efforts to address the broader conflict showed no immediate progress.
