Jet drone hits homes in Kharkiv: five injured, including a four-year-old boy

A late-evening strike

Late on the evening of 27 October, Russian forces attacked the Osnovianskyi district of Kharkiv. Mayor Ihor Terekhov first reported an “enemy strike” and later said an apartment block had been hit and that, according to preliminary information, people were trapped inside.

According to the State Emergency Service in Kharkiv region, the attack was carried out with a jet-powered drone — a type that flies much faster than ordinary Shaheds and is harder to intercept.

How many were hurt

The number of injured grew through the night. At 23:10 Terekhov reported two casualties, including a four-year-old boy; by 23:45 there were four. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda, said the injured were women aged 32 and 65, a 56-year-old man and the child; three people were hospitalised.

On the morning of 28 October rescuers updated the figure: five people were injured, including a four-year-old child.

A major fire

The strike set fire to a two-storey apartment building, a private house, outbuildings and three industrial buildings. The State Emergency Service said the fire covered a total of 2,500 square metres. Multi-storey residential buildings, garages and cars were also damaged.

Rescue units, police, medics, volunteers and municipal services worked at the scene under the threat of repeat strikes. Emergency service psychologists helped affected residents.

Kharkiv under constant fire

This was not the only attack on the city in recent days. On the evening of 26 October, Russian forces struck Kharkiv’s Novobavarskyi district, killing two people and injuring four, Ukrinform reported. During the day on 27 October, shelling damaged a warehouse of the KSD publishing house — one of the country’s largest book publishers — according to Ukrainska Pravda.

Zaporizhzhia region: 846 strikes in a day

The situation in the south is also grim. Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Defence Council, said Russian forces attacked settlements in the region 846 times over the past day, injuring two people. These included 17 air strikes, 619 attacks by drones of various types (mostly FPV) on Zaporizhzhia and frontline communities, four multiple rocket launcher attacks and 206 artillery strikes. There were 69 reports of damage to homes, cars and infrastructure.

The front: 178 clashes in a day

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, 178 combat clashes were recorded along the front on 27 October as of 22:00. The General Staff estimates that over the past day the Russian army lost another 1,510 troops and 21 artillery systems. The figures are being updated.

A massive attack the day before

The strike on Kharkiv followed one of the largest attacks of recent days. According to the Air Force, from 18:00 on 26 October Russia launched Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles and 280 strike drones at Ukraine, 69 of them jet-powered Shaheds. Kyiv was the main target. By 09:00 on 27 October air defences had downed or suppressed 257 targets — two ballistic missiles and 255 drones; hits were recorded at 25 locations.

Context

The attacks on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia region come amid intense diplomacy: on Tuesday the leaders of Finland and Norway spoke with Putin, and a local ceasefire is in place in Kherson region for the humanitarian mission in Oleshky. At the same time, Ukrainian officials stress that strikes on cities have not stopped and that the need to strengthen air defence — especially against ballistic missiles and jet drones — remains critical.

If you are in Kharkiv or other frontline cities, do not ignore air raid alerts and follow the official channels of the regional administration and the emergency service.