A Ukrainian teacher and her one-year-old daughter were killed in a Russian drone strike while taking a stroll through the park, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Inna Mariukhna, a 28-year-old primary school teacher, and her 14-month-old daughter Angelina, were killed in the attack on a park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, with Zelensky condemning the “pure atrocity”.
"A horrific Russian strike in the Kharkiv region,” he wrote on X. “A Shahed struck people directly – in a park near an ordinary café. Pure atrocity. Six people were killed, including children.
“A little girl was killed in a stroller – her name was Anhelina, she was just over a year old, born in August 2025… Her mother's name was Inna. She died in the hospital… My condolences to their families and loved ones."
The Ukrainian government said that eight-year-old Arina Koval, 34-year-old Yulia Spichak, 36-year-old Marianna Krasiuk, and another unidentified man, were also killed in the attack on the park. Another 15 people were injured including seven children.
The Ukrainian president stressed in the post that the strike demonstrated that Ukraine needs more protection and air defence.
Taking aim at the US, after Washington announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, he said: “You can't think about making money with Russia as long as it continues its asinine war. We ask that sanctions on Russia stay in place as long as the killings continue. We ask America to be strong.”
Relations between the US and Ukrainian president hit a new low on Tuesday after Trump accused him of “doing nothing” to stop a war started by Russia. Zelensky responded with a swipe at Trump last week, praising the “real leaders” in Europe who had backed Kyiv.
The Ukrainian leader has seen a significant boost in his trust rating among Ukrainians amid an escalating war of words with Donald Trump, who has piled pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
A new poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on 20 October revealed Zelensky’s trust rating rose by 14 percentage points since the US struck a deal with Moscow to supply Russian diesel, drawing a furious reaction from Kyiv.
The survey found that 43% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky between 8 October and 9, while 52% did not. Between 10 October and 16, his trust rating had jumped to 57%, while the number of people who distrusted him fell to 39%.
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