Russian drones kill three-year-old and his grandparents near Kyiv

Russian drones kill three-year-old and his grandparents near Kyiv
Firefighters work at a compound of car garages damaged during overnight Russian missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, 8 August 2026, Reuters
Reuters

Russian drone strikes killed a three-year-old boy and his grandparents in a village in the Kyiv region, while another person was killed in an overnight ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

Russia has intensified attacks on Kyiv in recent months, while Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian oil facilities and logistics infrastructure in an effort to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched six ballistic missiles and 151 drones overnight.

At the same time, Ukraine’s general staff said its forces struck Russia’s Ilsky and Syzran oil refineries, causing fires at both facilities.

Local authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region said five people were wounded following a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukraine faces shortage of air defence missiles

Zelenskyy called for greater international pressure on Moscow, saying Ukraine and its partners wanted an end to the war.

“Europe, America, and Ukraine have long wanted to stop this Russian war,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

“Only Putin doesn’t want to, and he’s desperately clinging to his ballistic missiles and drones to keep the war going. More pressure is needed.”

Zelenskyy is in Serbia on his first visit to the Balkan country, which, like Ukraine, is seeking membership of the European Union.

The Ukrainian president has repeatedly appealed for additional military support as the country faces a chronic shortage of air defence missiles for U.S.-made Patriot systems.

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said only 29 of 195 ballistic missiles launched against the country in July were intercepted.

Ukrainian air defences shot down 135 drones during the latest overnight attack but were unable to intercept the ballistic missiles, the air force said.

Family killed in Kyiv region

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said Russian strikes were recorded at three locations in the Brovarskyi district near the capital.

Ten private homes, as well as commercial and industrial facilities, were damaged in the region.

In the village of Puhivka, about 30 kilometres from Kyiv, a private home caught fire after a Russian drone attack killed the three-year-old boy and his grandparents, according to Zelenskyy.

The child’s parents, his 15-year-old brother and a neighbour were wounded.

In Kyiv, fires were reported in three districts, while commercial premises and warehouses were also damaged.

Reuters witnesses reported hearing several powerful explosions that shook the centre of the capital.

Russia claims capture of settlement in Kharkiv

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Saturday that its forces had taken control of the settlement of Ivanivka in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the battlefield claim, and Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment.

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