Drones hit homes, fires erupt, street in ruins after Russian attack on Ukrainian city

Three people were wounded in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, during an overnight enemy drone attack. A man and a woman were hospitalized in moderate condition, while a third victim sustained minor injuries. More than a dozen homes and several vehicles were damaged. Rescuers spent the entire night battling the blazes.

TSN correspondent Anastasiia Nevirna visited the scene of the attack.

A street in ruins

Powerful explosions rocked one of Pavlohrad’s districts in the middle of the night. Russian drones crashed directly into a residential block, destroying private homes, leveling fences, and uprooting trees. Volodymyr arrived with his entire family at dawn to salvage his parents' house. There is a great deal of work ahead.

Volodymyr, relative of the victims: "The windows and doors are blown out. The roof was ripped open. At the neighbors' place, it’s even worse: all the windows, the roof, the gable, the gates — everything is gone."

The owners' son rushed to the site immediately after the detonation, as he lives nearby. He recalls that all emergency services — police, the State Emergency Service, and the gas service — arrived promptly, as the blast had severed a gas pipe.

"The walnut tree saved the yard"

A neighboring house was also significantly impacted. Mykola says he had just stepped outside to close the gate when a drone flew directly over his head and crashed into a tree.

Mykola, local resident: "I saw it fly in, hit that walnut tree, and explode. If not for that tree, it would have flown straight into the yard between the house and the garage. If it had hit there, nothing would be left."

Mykola was shielded from the shockwave by his house, but his once-tidy yard and home are now littered with glass and debris. In Mykola's yard, it is a scene of total devastation: not a single window remains intact, the walls are warped, and the roof is shattered.

Mykola, local resident: "Six windows were blown out, two doors to the house. In the garage and outbuildings — three doors and three windows. You can see the roof... the gates are bent."

Six months under fire

For the past six months, Pavlohrad has experienced explosions almost daily. Local residents have become nearly desensitized to the blasts, unless they occur in immediate proximity. In the last week alone, several high-rise buildings and more than ten private houses in the city have been damaged. People are hoping for assistance from the authorities and believe they will not be left to face this tragedy alone.