At least 12 injured from Russian shelling attack in Kharkiv

A three-year-old girl was amongst at least 12 people injured from a glide bomb that struck a five-storey apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, local officials said on Thursday.

The bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building on Wednesday night, igniting blazes, Kharkiv’s Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Firefighters searched for survivors through smoke and rubble.

Located around 30 kilometres from the Russian border, Kharkiv has been a frequent target of aerial attacks throughout Russia’s war against Ukraine, which is now deep into its third year.

With no effective countermeasure for glide bombs, which are launched from Russian aircraft inside Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the latest Kharkiv attack highlighted the urgent need for increased support from Ukraine’s Western allies.

Zelenskyy recently held talks with officials in the United States to ensure further Western military support.

Glide bombs have become an increasingly common weapon in the war. They have terrorised civilians and bludgeoned the Ukrainian army’s front-line defences.

They were a key weapon in Russia’s capture of the tactically significant town of Vuhledar on Wednesday, as Russian forces wreaked destruction on the eastern Donetsk region.

Weary Ukrainian troops have now withdrawn from the obliterated towns and villages.

Ukraine is grappling with a critical manpower problem on the front line and is straining to hold back Russia’s grinding assaults.

Since late last year, Russia has had the battlefield initiative when a Ukrainian counteroffensive petered out.