A wave of at least 179 Shahed-type attack drones from Russia struck four regions in Ukraine overnight on March 21-22, killing a family of three in Zaporizhzhya, and wounding at least 12 people.
The wounded included an infant and victims suffered burns, shrapnel injuries and contusions, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional Military Administration. A 14-year-old girl was killed with her father in their home, authorities said. Her mother later died at a hospital.
Ukrainian military sources said they shot down 100 of the incoming drones but enough got through to cause deaths and severe injuries and damage civilian premises in Zaporizhzhya, the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Kyiv districts.
"As of 08.30, the downing of 100 Shahed-type attack UAVs and other types of drones in the south, north and center of the country was confirmed," a report from the Ukrainian authorities said.
Around Kyiv, 52 Russian drones were detected, of which air defense forces said they destroyed 36.
The attacks continued into the early morning hours of March 23, with officials in the capital saying a drone hit an apartment building. Details were scarce shortly after the strike, but officials said emergency services were at the site.
The latest wave of attacks is part of a sharp escalation by both Russia and Ukraine, in drone strikes that have followed cease-fire negotiations between Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
The Russian attacks have employed drones, missiles and glide bombs, and followed a pledge made by President Vladimir Putin in a March 18 phone call with the White House to halt strikes on energy infrastructure. Hours after that two-hour talk with US President Donald Trump, Russian drones hit Ukrainian energy and water supply facilities, along with schools and hospitals.
The Ukrainian authorities and international organizations have called these strikes war crimes. Ukraine, meanwhile, has struck Russian oil facilities and a strategic bomber base in Engels, triggering a massive fire.
