A Russian drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad has killed three civilians and injured at least 10 others, local authorities confirmed on Friday. The latest strike comes just a day after former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a rare public condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin following a deadly missile and drone barrage on Kyiv.
According to Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, the victims included a child and a 76-year-old woman. The attack reportedly occurred during the night, striking a residential apartment building in Pavlohrad.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian forces launched a total of 103 Shahed and decoy drones targeting five regions across the country overnight. While infrastructure damage was reported in Sumy and Kharkiv in the northeast, there were no casualties in those areas.
The escalation followed Russia’s brutal assault on Kyiv on Thursday, which claimed the lives of at least 12 people and left 87 others wounded. It was the deadliest strike on the capital since last July.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump expressed sharp disapproval of the attack, calling on the Russian leader to halt the violence.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump wrote. “Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Trump has faced mounting pressure as his diplomatic initiative to bring an end to the over three-year war struggles to gain traction. Senior U.S. officials have warned that Washington could abandon its mediation efforts if a breakthrough is not achieved soon.
Meanwhile, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected in Moscow for talks with President Putin — their second meeting this month and fourth since February. Both Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are scheduled to arrive in Rome on Friday to attend Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, though it remains unclear whether they will hold bilateral discussions.
Zelenskyy stated that Russia used Thursday’s massive Kyiv assault to mask intensified ground operations across the 1,000-kilometer front line. He accused Moscow of deliberately increasing battlefield pressure while international attention was focused on the capital.
“When the maximum of our forces was focused on defense against missiles and drones, the Russians went on to significantly intensify their ground attacks,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian leader also reminded the public that his country had agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire 44 days ago as a first step toward peace a deal that Russia has allegedly violated repeatedly since.
Western European leaders have accused Moscow of using ongoing negotiations as a smokescreen to seize more territory. Trump, on the other hand, blamed Zelenskyy for prolonging the conflict, criticizing his refusal to surrender Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014 as part of a proposed peace agreement. Zelenskyy has consistently rejected any deal that recognizes Russian control over occupied Ukrainian land.
The recent attacks, including a deadly drone strike during Palm Sunday in Sumy and bombardments in Odesa and Zaporizhzhia, have deepened fears that the war may be entering a new and more violent phase — even as peace efforts hang in the balance.
