Airstrikes by Russia leave at least 8 dead in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian strikes killed at least eight people across Ukraine on Friday, including in a "massive" missile and drone attack near the capital, local authorities reported. Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more key infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signaled Kyiv's openness to a potential Easter truce.

The holiday is celebrated April 12 in Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is preparing for a shift in Russian aerial tactics, with intelligence indicating that future attacks will move beyond energy infrastructure. Russia's Defense Ministry said 192 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea. "

The Kyiv region is once again under a massive Russian missile and drone attack," said Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional military administration, in a Telegram post Friday. Kalashnyk said one person died and at least eight others were wounded in strikes on three of Kyiv's satellite towns — Bucha, Fastiv and Obukhiv. Earlier in the week, residents of Bucha marked the fourth anniversary of atrocities committed in the town by Russia's invading forces.

Another person was killed in Ukraine's northern Sumy region after a Russian guided aerial bomb struck an apartment block, local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov reported. Authorities in the Kherson, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions also reported casualties from Friday's attacks. Ukrainian officials highlighted what they said were increased daytime attacks by Russia, which they said could lead to more civilian deaths.

For months, Moscow pummeled Ukraine with nighttime missile and drone strikes that could involve hundreds of drones at a time. Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on X that "almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles" attacked Ukraine overnight. ”

This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine's Easter ceasefire proposals — with brutal attacks," Sybiha said. Zelenskyy on Thursday signaled Kyiv's continued openness to the potential truce on Easter, which he said had been communicated to Moscow through U.S. channels.

He added that the Kremlin's response remains unclear. Zelenskyy has previously offered a ceasefire for the Easter period, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that Moscow wants a lasting peace settlement, not a temporary truce. Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.

Zelenskyy told reporters Thursday that Ukraine is preparing for Russian aerial attacks that could target water systems, logistics and other critical networks. After months of sustained strikes on power facilities, Kyiv now expects increased pressure elsewhere. "

According to intelligence documents we have received, the Russians will target logistics — railways and other infrastructure. They will also target the water supply," Zelenskyy said at a news briefing. Around midday Friday, Russian forces dropped five aerial bombs on the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

At least two people were killed and three were injured, according to a Telegram update by Vadym Filashkin, who heads the regional military administration. Elsewhere in Ukraine on Friday, a Russian drone strike damaged a bus in the southern city of Kherson, leaving the driver seriously wounded and at least eight passengers hurt, according to regional officials.

Separately, authorities reported sustained attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, beginning Thursday and continuing into early Friday. Drone strikes near the city center caused several injuries. Two people later died at a hospital, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote in separate Telegram updates.

Zelenskyy told reporters that the battlefield situation has stabilized, with recent intelligence assessments pointing to the most favorable conditions for Kyiv in months. While fighting remains intense across eastern sectors, Ukrainian forces have disrupted Russian offensives in recent weeks and regained limited ground. Two people were hospitalized Friday after a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Leningrad region, said regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko, who added that the drones also set fire to an "unoccupied" building within the Morozov industrial zone.

Information for this article was contributed by Vasilisa Stepanenko and Derek Gatopoulos of The Associated Press.