Russian air strikes have injured at least 41 people in Kharkiv, Ukraine, according to officials. Regional head Oleh Syniehubov reported that five of the wounded are children and accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, including a supermarket and a sports complex.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks, calling them acts of terror against Kharkiv and urging Western allies to provide more support for Ukraine’s defense. Syniehubov noted that at least 10 separate strikes, including ballistic missiles, had been recorded, and ongoing rescue operations are underway as some people might be trapped under rubble.
BBC Verify confirmed the impact of several strikes, including one northeast of Kharkiv and another south near the Palace of Sport. These attacks followed a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia, targeting energy facilities where fires were reported but no injuries or deaths were confirmed by Russian officials.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed that over 158 Ukrainian drones targeted 15 regions, including Moscow, where fires broke out at an oil refinery and the Konakovo Power Station. Russian officials reported that drones attempted to strike the Kashira Power Plant but caused no significant damage.
In Ukraine, a Russian air strike on a grain convoy in the Sumy region killed a 23-year-old driver and injured four others, damaging several lorries. Ukrainian forces reported destroying eight of 11 Russian drones and targeting grain facilities in Mykolaiv.
Ukrainian advances have slowed near Kursk, with recent claims of control over 1,294 square kilometers and capture of nearly 600 Russian soldiers. Russian forces continue to advance in Donetsk, focusing on the strategic town of Pokrovsk.
These recent attacks come a day after a Russian strike on a playground in Kharkiv killed a 14-year-old girl and a previous attack on a residential building resulted in six deaths. Russia’s ongoing strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid have caused numerous casualties and infrastructure damage since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
