Russian airstrike on apartment block in Kharkiv injures 21 people

Russian strikes hit high-rise apartment blocks in Ukraine’s Kharkiv leaving dozens wounded. This is the second consecutive night-time attack this week.

The bombs fell on Saturday night on the district of Shevchenkivsky, in Ukraine’s northeast, local governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Two residential buildings were destroyed and seven more were damaged, he added.

Twenty-one people were wounded, including an eight-year-old, two 17-year-olds and several older adults, according to Syniehubov and Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov.

The attack came after another assault late on Friday that wounded 15 people, including a 10 and 12-year-old. Russian airstrikes hit three Kharkiv neighbourhoods, Terekhov said.

According to Ukrainian officials, KAB-type aerial glide bombs were used in both attacks. This is a retrofitted Soviet weapon that, for months, has laid waste to eastern Ukraine.

Russia also launched 80 Shahed drones and two missiles at Ukraine overnight into Sunday, the Ukrainian air force said in an online statement.

Ukrainian air defence shot down 71 drones, and another six were lost on location due to electronic warfare countermeasures, the statement said.

Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X that Russia launched 900 guided aerial bombs, 400 Shahed drones, and nearly 30 missiles of various types in the past week.

“We need to strengthen our capabilities to better protect lives and ensure safety,” he said of the attack.