Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The pregnant mother suffered traumatic brain injuries.
A quiet night in northeastern Ukraine was shattered by the buzz of a drone and a sudden blast. By morning, a family home lay in ruins and a community was in mourning.
Local officials say the attack is the second deadly incident to hit the town in recent days.
Nighttime strike
A Russian strike drone hit a private house in Bohodukhiv, in the Kharkiv region, late on February 10, killing three toddlers (two one-year-old boys and a two-year-old girl) and their father, according to a Telegram-post by regional authorities.
The Kharkiv Regional Military Administration said the drone struck at about 11:30 p.m. Officials have preliminarily identified it as a Geran-2 unmanned aerial vehicle.
The house was home to a family of five. Emergency crews worked through the night to pull victims from the rubble and assist the wounded.
Family among victims
Rescuers recovered the bodies of two one-year-old boys and a two-year-old girl from the debris. A 34-year-old man was also killed in the strike.
A 35-year-old pregnant woman, believed to be the children’s mother, survived but suffered blast injuries, a traumatic brain injury and burns. She was taken to hospital for treatment.
Authorities said the family had recently evacuated from the nearby settlement of Zolochiv to Bohodukhiv, relocating only days before the attack.
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Ongoing response
Regional prosecutors confirmed that other residents were injured, including a woman over 70. Law enforcement officers and medics remain at the scene as rescue operations and documentation of the damage continue.
RBC-Ukraine published exclusive video footage showing the destroyed home and heavy damage to neighboring buildings, underscoring the scale of destruction from the nighttime strike.
Officials described the incident as the second tragedy to strike Bohodukhiv in recent days.
Sources: Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, RBC-Ukraine
