Russian drone strike kills three-month-old boy in Marhanets

On the night of August 15, 2026, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone and artillery attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, resulting in the death of a three-month-old boy and injuries to at least 11 people. The attack targeted the city of Marhanets in the Nikopol district, where a high-rise residential building was struck. Governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported that the enemy attacked three districts of the region more than 20 times using drones, artillery, and an aerial bomb. The infant was killed in Marhanets, and among the injured were two children: a five-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Seven victims, including the children and several adults, were hospitalized in serious condition, while four others received outpatient treatment. The strikes also damaged apartment buildings, a store, a cinema, and cars in the city. In addition to Marhanets, the Nikopol and Pokrovske communities came under attack, and in the Synelnykove district, Russian forces struck the Mykolaivka, Pokrovske, and Vasylkivka communities, damaging an agricultural enterprise and a community cultural center. In the Samar district, a private house was damaged in the Pishchanka community. This attack was part of a broader wave of Russian aggression across Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 152 Shahed-type drones and loitering munitions were launched overnight, with 124 intercepted by air defenses. Drone strikes were recorded at 16 locations, and falling debris from downed targets was reported at another. In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 25 settlements, including the regional center, injuring 28 people, including a child. In Sumy Oblast, attacks injured four people and damaged private homes and civilian infrastructure. In Donetsk Oblast, one person was injured in Sloviansk, and settlements were shelled 37 times. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, two people were injured, and Russian forces carried out 971 strikes against 42 settlements over the past day. The attacks on August 15 followed deadly strikes on August 14 in the Donetsk and Cherkasy regions, which killed at least one person and injured 18. In the central Cherkasy region, a Russian drone struck a residential building in the Smila territorial community. In the Donetsk region, Russian forces struck Kramatorsk and the nearby village of Bilenke eight times, hitting residential buildings and killing at least one person and wounding 15 others. The ongoing Russian attacks have caused significant civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure, highlighting the continued threat to Ukrainian civilians. The international community has condemned these attacks, but the situation remains dire as Russian forces continue their military operations.