Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire in a damaged residential building following a drone attack in Kharkiv on April 2, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesDispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,500.Russian Attacks on Ukraine.Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least eight people on Friday, April 3, as Moscow steps up a pattern of daytime attacks, raising civilian costs. Ukraine's Air Force intercepted 541 projectiles out of 579 launched; still, the heaviest blows fell near Kyiv and in the eastern and southern regions, where drones, missiles, and guided bombs hit residential areas and infrastructure.In northeastern Sumy province, a guided bomb struck an apartment building, killing one civilian. Casualties were also reported in Zhytomyr, Kherson, and Donetsk regions, where attacks continued into the day. Russian forces struck Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, with four ballistic missiles early on Friday, damaging residential buildings and injuring a woman. Kharkiv officials reported more than 20 strikes throughout the day.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia may soon widen its targets. "The Russians will target logistics – railways and other infrastructure. They will also target the water supply," he said at a press briefing on Friday, citing intelligence reports. Zelenskyy has also suggested that Kyiv is leaving the door open to an Easter ceasefire, potentially mediated through U.S. channels, though Moscow's response is unclear.Ukraine Tests Private Air DefenseSince November 2025, Ukraine has allowed private firms to counter aerial threats, and at least 13 have entered the market. “The army physically cannot protect all objects in the country,” said a senior industry manager at Forbes Ukraine on condition of anonymity. “Private initiatives scale faster, and that gives a chance to protect sites that won’t justify the use of ballistic missiles.”MORE FOR YOUPreviously, on March 30, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported that Carmine Sky had successfully intercepted an enemy aircraft in the northeastern Kharkiv region. The firm, which began work in early 2026, says it has achieved an 85% hit rate using turret systems, while also testing interceptor drones. “Our company is so far the only one that has downed targets, as far as we know,” says one of its managers.The idea of private air defense emerged from earlier experimentation. In 2024, the Ukrainian government offered developers of interceptor drones bounties of up to $20,000 per downed Russian Shahed. “This was one of the steps that proved the concept had a right to exist,” said a source familiar with the project. Carmine Sky, which joined the effort in January 2026, spent months resolving not only technical issues but also legal ones. “We had to figure out how to contract, how to register weapons on the balance sheet, and how to account for ammunition,” said the company’s founder.By Danylo Nosov