Russian military strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, have killed at least two people and left more than 30 others injured, including a teenager, in the latest wave of violence. The northeastern city, located approximately 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of attacks since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On Tuesday afternoon, Russian forces dropped four guided bombs on Kharkiv, according to Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region. One of the bombs claimed the lives of a man and a woman who were walking down the street. Syniehubov added that at least three other civilians were injured in the same attack.
Earlier in the day, a separate assault left 28 people wounded, including a 16-year-old teenager. Ukrainian authorities are still working to determine the type of weapon used in this earlier incident. Syniehubov and Kharkiv’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, reported that a civilian production facility had also been hit, with Terekhov noting that a fire broke out as a result of the attack.
Kharkiv has suffered from relentless Russian strikes throughout the conflict, and the city has become a focal point of Moscow’s aggressive military campaign. Just last week, a Russian-guided bomb targeted a five-story apartment block, injuring 10 people. In September, Kharkiv endured several other attacks, one of which killed three people when a bomb hit an apartment building. That incident occurred as world leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York, drawing international attention to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Another notable attack in September injured dozens when a Russian missile struck a shopping mall and a sports center, marking the beginning of a particularly intense period of violence in the city.
In addition to the attacks on Kharkiv, other parts of Ukraine also experienced Russian strikes on Tuesday. In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a 71-year-old man was killed in a drone attack while traveling in his car in the village of Prymorske, near the front lines. A woman who was with him in the vehicle was hospitalized, according to Ivan Fedorov, the regional head.
In eastern Ukraine, where the conflict remains most intense, one person was killed and six others injured when Russian forces dropped three guided bombs on the town of Kostiantynivka, hitting two residential buildings. Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk region, confirmed the casualties.
As the war drags on, civilian casualties continue to mount in Ukraine, particularly in heavily targeted cities like Kharkiv and areas near the front lines.
