A Russian guided bomb attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv hit a residential building and a playground, killing six people and wounding at least 55, local officials said.
Ihor Terekhov, the city’s mayor, said on Telegram that a child was killed at the playground. Three people died in the 12-story apartment block, which caught fire after the attack, he said.
About 20 of the injured were in serious condition, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
One end of the building was engulfed in black smoke, with many of the upper floors in flames. Several cars parked outside were destroyed by the fire.
Emergency services and rescue volunteers rushed to carry survivors out of the building. The body of one victim was under a mat on the ground outside, surrounded by police.
Residents of all ages, some of them covered in blood, sat dazed on benches and walls outside as medics tended to their wounds.
Authorities did not specify the circumstances under which the other two people died in the attacks, which hit four areas of the city.
“Gliding bombs”
Ukrainian authorities said Friday’s (30) attack included five guided aerial bombs dropped from planes in Russia’s Belgorod region, also known as “glider bombs,” which are equipped with a navigation system that guides them to their targets.
The weapons are difficult to intercept and have become a fearsome tool in the war in eastern Ukraine in recent months as they can cause widespread devastation.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians. Thousands were killed and injured during Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelensky calls for attack on Russian bases
Following the Kharkiv attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed a call for Western allies to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons delivered by Western nations to strike Russian military air bases.
“A strike would not have happened if our defense forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are based,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
“There is no rational reason to restrict Ukraine’s defenses,” he added.
Ukraine says the most effective way to counter such attacks is to target Russian planes, not the bombs themselves.
Kharkiv has been the focus of heavy Russian shelling throughout the war, although the intensity of that offensive has eased in recent weeks, possibly linked to an incursion launched by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.
This content was originally published in Russian attack on Kharkiv leaves 6 dead and 55 injured, authorities say on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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