**Escalating Conflict: Drone Assault Claims Lives in Kharkiv**

**A surge in drone assaults marks a grim escalation in the ongoing conflict, as Kharkiv experiences devastating strikes.**

A series of overnight drone strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, tragically resulted in the death of three individuals and injured 64 others, including nine children, local authorities reported. The attack unfolded early Wednesday morning as part of Russia's sustained increase in drone and missile assaults, which have plagued various regions throughout the country in recent months.

This latest barrage saw Ukrainian air defense manage to down 49 drones out of the 85 launched by Russian forces. The strikes predominantly hit Kharkiv, igniting fires in residential buildings and causing significant damage to a trolley bus depot and private homes. In addition, reports confirmed damage in the Donetsk and Odesa regions, highlighting the widespread impact of the assault.

The Ukrainian Air Force noted the utilization of Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Russia's Kursk region during this onslaught. The situation in Kharkiv forced many exhausted residents to seek refuge in bomb shelters as alarms rang through the night. With the drone strikes primarily targeting civilian areas, there are yet no reports regarding military facilities impacted by the attacks, emphasizing the conflict's toll on non-combatants amid an increasingly perilous environment.