According to reports, a minimum of four individuals, including rescue personnel, were killed in a series of drone attacks on residential high-rises and private residences in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, perpetrated by Russian forces. The assaults happened early on Thursday, as stated by local authorities.
Oleh Synehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, stated on the communication platform Telegram that the casualty count stood at four, with an additional 10 individuals sustaining injuries, one of them being critically injured. Ihor Terekhov, the Mayor of Kharkiv, also commenting on Telegram, revealed that four fatalities occurred at a single attack site, three of which were emergency vehicle operators who arrived on location just before a second strike.
Terekhov went on to say that five drone strikes had been carried out. A fire was ignited by one, while another contributed to a building’s partial collapse. At least three vehicles sustained serious damage. According to Terekhov, one individual lost their life due to an attack carried out on private residences in a different district of the city.
Furthermore, Synehubov reported that a nurse had been injured by a later explosion. Online media depicted fire truck ladders reaching towards broken apartments atop tall buildings, operating under the glow of floodlights.
Terekhov also notified Suspilne public television that signs of life had been detected from one individual under the rubble of a building. Suspilne also reported that one of the strikes had caused extensive damage to apartments across three levels of a 14-story building. For at least an hour, emergency teams were unable to intervene due to fear of potential further strikes.
However, these reports could not be independently verified by Reuters. Russia continues to deny intentional targeting of civilians in the ongoing 25-month conflict that is primarily focused on the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
Kharkiv city has been frequently subjected to Russian missile and drone assaults. A week prior, one individual was killed when Russian forces dropped an aerial bomb on the city. Earlier in the month, five people died in a missile strike on an industrial area.
Terekhov also warned of possible power outages in certain city districts, as Russian forces have intensified attacks on infrastructure, including electricity, in recent weeks. – Thomson Reuters 2024.