By Euronews
Published on •Updated
At least three people were killed and 60 wounded in Kharkiv after Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack across Ukraine overnight Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
“Seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs were carried out within just 10 minutes in two districts of the city this night,” Kharkiv’s Mayor Igor Terekhov said.
More than 15 apartments were on fire in a five-storey building and several houses were hit. “There may be people trapped under the rubble,” Terekhov added.
The strikes caused widespread destruction in the Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts of Kharkiv, hitting apartment buildings, private homes, playgrounds, industrial sites and public transport.
“Those are ordinary sites of peaceful life — those that should never be targeted,” Terekhov wrote on Telegram, as Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said that nine children aged between 2 and 15 were among the injured.
Emergency crews, municipal workers and volunteers worked through the night to extinguish fires, rescue residents from burning homes, and restore gas, electricity and water services to the area.
Images from the scene published by Ukraine’s Emergency Service on Telegram showed burning apartments, shattered windows and firefighters battling the blaze.
Ukraine’s Air Forces said Russia attacked Ukraine overnight on Wednesday with 85 Shahed-type drones and decoy UAVs, which targeted the northeastern city and other areas.
Air defence systems managed to neutralise 49 drones, intercepting 40 and jamming nine more with electronic warfare.
Separately, the death toll from a wave of Russian strikes Tuesday morning on Kyiv and Odesa rose to at least three and another 13 wounded after Moscow attacked the areas with drones and missiles.
A maternity ward and residential buildings were among civilian targets hit, according to Odesa’s regional head Oleh Kiper.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced frustration about the lack of response from the US and other countries over the recent escalation of Russian attacks, including a record 419 Russian drones which were launched at Ukraine on Monday night.
“Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace,” the Ukrainian leader posted on X on Tuesday morning.
For yet another night, instead of a ceasefire, there were massive strikes with Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles.”
Zelenskyy said 250 of the drones were Shaheds, and two of the seven missiles were of “North Korean production”.
Additional sources • AP
