In an unprecedented move, Russia used guided bombs in airstrikes on the northern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, marking the first time since 2022. The attack resulted in the death of at least one person and left 16 others wounded, according to local officials.
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, denounced the attack as “another act of bloody terror against Ukrainians” and highlighted that four children were among the injured. The interior ministry reported that three residential buildings were damaged, with a medical facility being affected as well. Local police confirmed that a school was hit in the bombing.
A five-storey residential building that had been hit was cordoned off by police, revealing blown-out windows and badly damaged balconies, as shown in Reuters television footage. Debris littered the area in front of the building, with a covered body lying on the blood-stained ground next to an abandoned bicycle.
While Kharkiv and its surrounding region have faced frequent missile and drone attacks since Russia’s invasion started in February 2022, the use of large-caliber guided bombs was a departure from previous tactics. Serhiy Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the regional police, noted that Kharkiv had not experienced aerial bombs since 2022.
Regional governor Oleh Synehubov also confirmed the deployment of guided munitions during the airstrikes. Despite Russia’s denial of targeting civilians, the ongoing war has resulted in the deaths of thousands, displacement of millions, and extensive destruction of towns and cities.
Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov described the attack as “another act of bloody terror against Ukrainians” and said four children were among the wounded. Three residential buildings were damaged, the interior ministry said on the Telegram messenger. Terekhov said a medical facility was also damaged and local police said a school had been hit.
Police cordoned off a five-storey residential building that had been hit, its windows blown out and balconies badly damaged, Reuters television footage showed. Debris was strewn across the area in front of the building and a covered body lay on the bloodied ground next to an abandoned bicycle.
Kharkiv and the surrounding region have frequently been attacked with missiles and drones since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, but the use of large-calibre guided bombs was unusual. “Kharkiv was hit by aerial bombs – for the first time since 2022,” Serhiy Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the regional police, said on Facebook.
Regional governor Oleh Synehubov also reported the use of guided munitions on Wednesday. Russia denies targeting civilians although the war has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions and destroyed towns and cities.
Reporting by Vitalii Hnidyi in Kharkiv, Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk; Editing by Alison Williams and Timothy Heritage
