'Terror is their only argument:' Russia's attacks on Ukraine continue, 2 children killed, 10 others injured

After Russia's largest attack on Kyiv of the full-scale war, Moscow launched another wave of strikes overnight on July 3 across the country, again targeting homes and civilian infrastructure.

The attacks killed at least 17 people and injured 125 others over the past day, local authorities reported. A 2-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl were among those killed, while at least 10 other children were injured in attacks across four oblasts.

"Terror is the only argument they have left to not stop the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said after saying Russian strikes had killed four members of the same family, children, and a doctor in a direct strike on a hospital in Kherson Oblast.

"They knew exactly where they were striking and that there was no military purpose in it," he added.

Ukraine's Air Force said it shot down one of two Kh-59/69 guided missiles and 82 of 105 attack drones Russia launched overnight. Hits by one Kh-59/69 missile and 21 drones were recorded at 16 locations. Debris from intercepted aerial targets fell at five locations.

Five people were killed, and 34 others were injured in Russian attacks across Sumy Oblast, Governor Oleh Hryhorov said. Among the victims was a family of four — a 76-year-old man, two women aged 39 and 26, and a 2-year-old girl — who were killed when a Russian drone struck their home in the Romenskyi community. Elsewhere, a drone strike killed a 49-year-old woman.

In an intense wave of attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian forces killed three people and injured 24 others, local authorities said. The victims included a 7-year-old girl and a 66-year-old man, while an 11-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were among the injured. The attacks continued into the morning, when, around 10 a.m., Russian strikes killed another person and wounded five more.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed four people and injured 12 others, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks killed two people and injured 16 others, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Russian strikes killed one person and injured 16 others, including four children, in Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. In Losova, a Russian Geran-2 drone struck a residential area, injuring a family of six. A 10-year-old girl suffered blast injuries and burns covering about 40% of her body and was hospitalized in critical condition.

In Mykolaiv Oblast, Russian attacks killed one person and injured seven others, Governor Vitalii Kim said. A 45-year-old man was killed in a Shahed drone strike on a gas station in Mykolaiv Oblast.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, four children were among the 11 people injured in Russian attacks, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Meanwhile, emergency crews continue search and rescue operations at three sites in Kyiv following Russia's July 2 attack. The death toll has risen by nine to 30, while 10 people remain missing, according to Zelensky.

"The search operation will continue for as long as necessary," Zelensky said, expressing his condolences to the families of those killed.

July 3 was declared a day of mourning in Kyiv for the victims of the attack.