Drone strike on Nova Vodolaha park kills six
A drone attack on Nova Vodolaha killed six people, and sources differ on how many children died. Prosecutors are investigating a possible war crime.
A Russian drone hit the central park in Nova Vodolaha, in the Kharkiv region, at around 4:30 p.m. local time on October 19, and Ukrainian authorities say six people were killed. According to Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi, the park was crowded at the time, including families with children, and he said the attack had no military purpose whatsoever.
What is known about the attack itself?
The time of the strike was given by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Preliminary findings from police and prosecutors indicate a Geran-3 drone was used. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a Telegram post that refers to a Shahed drone, described the point of impact this way:
“The Shahed hit people directly: a park next to an ordinary cafe.”
So the strike landed in a park beside a cafe, not on the venue itself. The injured were taken to Kharkiv by ambulance.
How many people died, and why do the figures differ?
In its first report, Ukrinform said two women and a baby had been killed and 15 people injured. Later, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, posted an updated toll on Facebook:
“Sadly, the number of victims of the Russian strike on Nova Vodolaha has risen to six. Three of the dead are children. I express my sincere condolences to the families.”
The list Syniehubov gave, as relayed by the Kyiv Independent, includes two girls aged eight and one year, three women aged 28, 34 and 36, and a man of about 40. In his post, Zelensky mentions an 11-year-old girl, and the same report says the president identified a 14-year-old girl as one of the victims. The sources therefore disagree on the exact ages and number of children killed, and the figure should be treated as unconfirmed until an official list is published.
The numbers of injured also differ. Zelensky speaks of 14 injured, six of them children, while Syniehubov reports at least 15, including seven children.
Who died in the stroller?
Zelensky said the dead include a girl named Anhelina, a little over a year old, born in August 2025. She was killed in her stroller. Of her mother, the president wrote:
“The mother’s name was Inna; she died in hospital…”
The investigation and political reaction
Prosecutors have opened a pre-trial investigation into a possible war crime. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said on Telegram:
“This cannot be treated as just another piece of news. The world must not get used to the killing of Ukrainian children and civilians.”
Zelensky called the attack an atrocity and, alongside photos from the scene, wrote that behind them lie broken lives:
“These are terrible photos, but behind them are broken lives and the truth about this war. We must protect lives. Ukraine needs air defense. We demand that sanctions against Russia NOT be lifted until the killings stop.”
He thanked partners for their support, urged the United States to apply the law proposed by Lindsey Graham, and called on Europe to keep helping Ukraine.
What else happened in the region that day?
According to Syniehubov, Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv and 17 settlements around it during the day, and 11 people were injured in those attacks.
