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Russian strikes killed 14 radical successful Ukraine connected Friday (April 3, 2026), officials said, arsenic Moscow launched the latest successful an expanding fig of daytime barrages.
Moscow has been firing aerial broadsides astatine Ukraine passim its much than four-year invasion, mostly astatine night, but successful caller weeks it has stepped up daytime attacks.
The Russian subject utilized much than 500 drones and dozens of missiles successful its salvo connected Friday (April 3), according to the Ukrainian aerial force.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of intensifying attacks up of Catholic Easter connected Sunday (April 5), "turning what should person been soundlessness successful the skies into an Easter escalation".
Images from Ukrainian exigency services showed damaged residential buildings, with a artifact of flats ripped unfastened and rubble strewn connected a street.
The onslaught killed 1 idiosyncratic and near 8 wounded successful the superior portion of Kyiv, said determination Governor Mykola Kalashnyk.
"Unfortunately, animals were besides affected by the onslaught — astir 20 animals died owed to harm to a veterinary clinic," Mr. Kalashnyk added.
Some residents of the superior sheltered successful the metro oregon successful basements, AFP reporters saw, but galore radical sat successful cafes unfazed by the attacks and contempt blaring aerial raid sirens.
In the Kyiv region, "a drone struck a residential gathering successful Obukhiv, and different onslaught occurred betwixt a kindergarten and a schoolhouse successful Vyshneve, damaging homes," said Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
Three radical were killed successful Ukraine's bluish Sumy region, portion attacks connected the northwestern Zhytomyr portion and cardinal Dnipropetrovsk regions killed 2 others, according to the authorities.
Russian strikes connected the frontline regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia killed 8 people, section officials said.
Easter truce?
The barrage prompted exigency powerfulness outages successful respective regions, relation Ukrenergo said. "This is however Moscow responds to Ukraine's Easter ceasefire proposals — with brutal attacks," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
Zelensky said earlier this week helium was acceptable for a truce implicit the Easter holidays, but the Kremlin said it had not received "clearly formulated" proposals.
Ukraine has accused Russia of prolonging the warfare to seizure much territory, and says Moscow is not funny successful peace.
Russia denies targeting civilians. Talks betwixt the 2 warring parties, mediated by the United States, person been stalled by the warfare successful the Middle East.
In comments to reporters, including from AFP, published connected Friday (April 4), Zelensky said helium had invited an American delegation to Ukraine to relaunch negotiations with Moscow.
"The delegation volition bash everything imaginable successful the existent conditions — during the warfare with Iran — to travel to Kyiv," Zelensky said.
"The American radical tin travel to america and, aft us, spell to Moscow. If it does not enactment retired with 3 parties, let's bash it this way," helium added.
US President Donald Trump's envoys person been engaged successful three-way shuttle diplomacy with Ukrainian and Russian teams successful a bid to extremity the war. But these person stalled arsenic Washington has been occupied with the aerial run connected Iran it launched successful precocious February.
Amid the Middle East war, Ukraine has sought to leverage its expertise successful warring disconnected Russian drones akin to those Iran has been utilizing successful retaliatory attacks crossed Gulf nations.
Last week, Zelensky visited respective Middle Eastern countries and signed defence agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
He besides suggested Ukraine could assistance unblock the Strait of Hormuz, whose effectual closure by Iran has rattled the planetary economy.
He did not specify however Ukraine could contribute, but cited Kyiv's acquisition successful restoring transition done the Black Sea, which Russia had blocked astatine the opening of its invasion.
