Russian drone attack kills at least four in Kharkiv, say Ukraine officials

Kharkiv, Ukraine — Russian drones hit high-rise apartment blocks and private homes in Kharkiv on Thursday, killing at least four people in Ukraine’s second-largest city, officials said.

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov put the death toll at four, including three rescue workers, in a repeat strike at the site of one attack. Writing on the Telegram messaging app, he also said that 12 people were injured, with three in serious condition.

Russia used at least 15 drones in the Kharkiv attacks, Synehubov wrote.

Ukraine’s military shot down 11 Shahed drones out of 20 launched at the country overnight, the General Staff said.

Residential buildings, stores, a medical facility and cars were damaged in the attack, the Kharkiv prosecutor’s office said on Telegram.

Drones also hit the Zmiivska thermal power plant in the region, the governor said, keeping up pressure on an energy system that has come under repeated attack from Russian air strikes in recent weeks.

Pictures and videos from Kharkiv showed ladders from fire trucks operating under floodlights and extending to shattered apartments at the top of high-rise blocks.

Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne reported that one of the strikes caused serious damage to apartments on three floors of a 14-storey building. It said emergency crews had been unable to work for at least an hour for fear of further strikes.

An education facility, cultural centre and private residence in the Dnipropetrovsk region were also hit by drones, the region’s governor said, adding that no casualties were reported.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the accounts. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in the 25-month-old war in which it is focusing on capturing eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.

Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian drone and missile attacks.

Russian forces last week used an aerial bomb on the city, killing one person after a missile attack on an industrial area last month killed five people. 

Reuters