Russian attack on Ukraine market kills five
Russian forces launched a drone strike on a market in southern Ukraine, resulting in five fatalities and 21 wounded, including a 14-year-old girl, according to the prosecutor’s office. The assault occurred at 09:50 local time in Nikopol, a town bordering the Dnipro river and situated near Russian-occupied territory. Visual evidence shared by regional prosecutors shows market stalls damaged, with debris scattered across the area, including metal, glass, and food items.
Earlier in the week, at least 15 civilians were killed in drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. Meanwhile, a retaliatory strike by Ukraine on the Russian city of Taganrog overnight claimed one life and left four others severely injured, as reported by Moscow. This marks the second such attack on Taganrog in a month, with the Rostov regional governor stating that a logistics company’s premises caught fire during the incident.
Nikopol, a town of around 100,000 residents, has become a frequent target. Nearly half of its population fled for safety during the war. The latest strike, which hit a crowded market area, led to significant casualties. A second attack on the same location later that day injured two more individuals, prompting an investigation into potential war crime charges.
Ukrainian air forces noted that Russia deployed nearly 300 drones overnight, causing damage in Kharkiv and the Sumy region. Russia countered by claiming to have downed 85 Ukrainian drones. Ukraine’s defense ministry attributed the casualties in Taganrog to “Russian air defence operations.” Additionally, Kyiv reported two strikes on factories linked to the Russian military industrial complex, including a facility in Togliatti that produces synthetic rubber and petrochemical materials.
“A massive attack was carried out on a plant in Togliatti that produces synthetic rubber and petrochemical raw materials,” stated a Ukrainian defence ministry official.
Further damage occurred at the Alchevsk metallurgical plant in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, where a second drone strike halted production. The Security Service of Ukraine confirmed that blast furnaces and key operational zones were affected. President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a truce for the Easter holidays, but Moscow has not responded. Russian daytime attacks, once uncommon, have risen sharply, coinciding with the US shifting its diplomatic focus to the Middle East.
