Two children among seven dead in Russian strikes on Ukraine, officials say

Seven people, including two children, were killed in Russian rocket and drone strikes across Ukraine on Thursday, according to local officials. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Wednesday that Russia was preparing for a "massive attack," urging the public to heed air raid alerts. In the early hours of Thursday, Ukrainian authorities reported widespread rocket and drone strikes throughout the country. The attacks followed Zelensky’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., earlier this week, where he sought U.S. support to secure Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine. In the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, a ballistic missile struck a private home, killing six people—including two girls aged five and twelve—according to a local official. Eight others were injured in the same incident, including two children, with the official noting the casualty toll could rise. In Kyiv, one person died and fires broke out in three non-residential buildings overnight, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported via Telegram. Explosions were also heard in Lviv, where Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said residential buildings had been damaged.