By At least eight people have lost their lives and a further 12 sustained injuries following a series of Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, as confirmed by local officials.
According to Sky News, Governor Oleh Syniehubov of the Kharkiv region reported extensive damage to residential buildings, a petrol station, a nursery, a cafe, a shop, and numerous vehicles in the aftermath of the missile attacks.
Air force commander reports indicate that Russia deployed 32 Iranian-made Shahed drones and launched six missiles during the overnight assault on Ukraine.
In a subsequent strike on Saturday afternoon, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced another casualty and one additional person injured, further exacerbating the grim toll of the attacks.
Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk of the Ukrainian air defence forces disclosed that three cruise missiles and 28 drones were successfully intercepted and neutralized, underscoring Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to defend against Russian aggression.
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In response to the strikes, Lt. Gen. Oleshchuk condemned the “terrorising” actions of the Russian military, stressing their indiscriminate attacks on civilian-populated areas.
While the Russian military has yet to address these strikes, they claimed that Ukraine launched Vampire rockets towards Russia on Saturday morning. However, all ten projectiles were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defence systems along the border region of Belgorod, as stated by the Russian Defence Ministry.
These developments unfolded in the wake of Ukraine’s reported “coordinated strikes” early Friday, targeting a military airbase within Russia, with a focus on Russian fighter planes. Notably, Ukrainian sources revealed that SU-34 fighter-bombers, utilized by the Russian military in previous offensives against Ukrainian forces, were among the primary targets of the operation.
