A Russian drone attack on a market in southern Ukraine has killed five people and injured 21, including a 14-year-old girl, the prosecutor general’s office says. The attack took place at 09:50 local time in the town of Nikopol, just across the Dnipro river from land occupied by Russia since their full-scale invasion.

Attack Details and Casualties

Pictures published by the regional prosecutor show smashed market kiosks strewn with metal, glass, and food; the incident occurred in a busy area of Nikopol, which has frequently come under fire in recent months. Almost half of the town’s 100. 000 residents have left for safety. But the attack struck in a populated location, leading to a high number of casualties.

Two men were injured in a second strike on the same location, the prosecutor said, adding that the attacks were being investigated as a war crime. The attack on the market has drawn international attention and further highlighted the dangers faced by civilians in the ongoing conflict.

Reciprocal Attacks and Escalation

Meanwhile, a drone and missile attack by Ukraine on the southern Russian city of Taganrog overnight killed at least one person and seriously injured four, Russia said. Rostov regional governor Yuri Slyusar said the attack in Taganrog had caused a fire to break out in the premises of a logistics company in the city.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched almost 300 drones against Ukraine again overnight, with casualties also reported in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the northern Sumy region. Russia claimed to have shot down 85 Ukrainian drones in response.

Kyiv also reported two attacks on factories it said were used by the Russian military industrial complex — a Ukrainian defence ministry official blamed the casualties on ‘Russian air defence operations.’

Impact on Industrial Facilities

The defence official said a ‘massive attack’ was carried out on a plant in Togliatti that produced synthetic rubber and petrochemical raw materials; Later, Ukraine’s Security Service said drone strikes had halted production at the Alchevsk metallurgical plant in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.

As a result of the attack, the second in a month, blast furnaces, production shops, and other key areas of the factory were damaged, the agency said. The strikes targeted critical infrastructure, further disrupting the region’s industrial capacity.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered Russia a truce for the Easter holidays. But so far, Moscow is ignoring that. Major daytime attacks by Russia, which were once rare, have been increasing, signaling a shift in the conflict’s intensity.

The attack on the market in Nikopol, combined with the reciprocal strikes on Russian cities and industrial facilities, highlights the ongoing and intensifying nature of the conflict. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence, with attacks targeting both urban centers and strategic infrastructure.

As the situation remains volatile, the international community continues to monitor the developments closely, with calls for a de-escalation of hostilities and increased humanitarian aid for those affected by the war.