Kamikaze drone strikes Kharkiv university, injures four as Zelensky urges European air-defence 'umbrella'

A kamikaze drone struck the Kharkiv National Pharmaceutical University in the city’s Slobidskyi district on Tuesday, ripping through a building and injuring at least four people, local officials said.

The strike occurred at about 11 a.m. local time, and video circulating on social media showed a small unmanned aerial vehicle diving into the university and triggering a large explosion that set parts of the building ablaze as passersby fled the scene. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said four people were injured. Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov condemned the attack, saying the damaged facility had "no connection to the military or defense industry."

Firefighters and emergency crews worked at the site after the strike, and local authorities said they were assessing damage to the university and nearby infrastructure. The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on European partners to create a multilayered air-defence "umbrella" to protect European skies, saying on Telegram that the technologies exist and that what is needed are investments and political will.

Zelensky's post said that in just over the past two weeks Russia had launched more than 3,500 drones, more than 2,500 glide bombs and almost 200 missiles at targets inside Ukraine. Ukrainian officials and analysts have said glide bombs, typically released from jets flying at high altitude, and swarms of small unmanned aerial systems are stretching Ukraine's air-defence resources and are difficult to intercept.

The Kharkiv strike followed an overnight barrage on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia that wounded 13 people, including two children, regional head Ivan Fedorov said on national television. Fedorov said more than 20 apartment buildings were hit and several fires were caused by the bombardment. He noted that municipal crews were still repairing damage from previous strikes on Aug. 30 when the latest attacks occurred.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has persisted since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, and attacks on populated areas and civilian infrastructure have continued across multiple fronts. Russian attacks on Ukraine have also at times affected neighboring countries: Russian drones have landed on Polish soil in recent months, prompting NATO to strengthen air-defence deployments in Europe.

Ukraine has sought to respond to the growing threat with its own long-range strike capabilities. The Ukrainian General Staff said on Tuesday that its forces struck an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region overnight, reporting explosions and a fire at the facility. Ukrainian officials have in recent months targeted installations in Russia, including refineries, depots and transport terminals.

Russian glide-bomb attacks, while not highly accurate, can cause large craters and significant structural damage, Ukrainian military officials have said. Ukraine has repeatedly warned that it lacks an effective countermeasure against some of those long-range glide weapons, a shortfall Ukrainian leaders say should be addressed through increased allied support and coordinated European air-defence measures.

Local officials in Kharkiv said investigations into the university strike and emergency response actions would continue. The attack added to a string of strikes across Ukrainian cities this month that have damaged homes, schools and public infrastructure and have required repeated municipal repairs and fire-fighting operations.

"Now is the time to implement the joint protection of our European skies with a multilayered air defence system," Zelensky wrote. "All the technologies for this are available. We need investments and desire, we need strong actions and decisions from all our partners."