Russia Attacks Kharkiv Ukraine With Mass Drone, 46 Injured
JAKARTA - Russia launched a mass drone attack on Friday night in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. The attack that hit the apartment block sparked a fire and injured 46 people.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov explained the attacks on 12 locations in four city-central districts, which were repeatedly targeted by Russian airstrikes located 30 km (19 miles) from the country's northeastern border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the drone strike, which hit Ukrainian cities several times a week.
He said dozens of drones had been launched and issued new calls to enhance Ukraine's air defense capabilities.
"There is no military target, and there is no way. Russia attacks a residence when Ukrainians are in their homes, when they put their children to sleep," Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
"Ukraine needs stronger air defenses. Stronger and more real decisions from our partners: the United States, Europe, all our partners seeking peace," he added.
Terekhov said the house was also attacked. An 11-year-old is among the injured. Eight of those injured were hospitalized.
Regional Governor By Syniehubov said the number of injured victims could increase.
The uploaded photo shows firefighters struggling with the fire, building facilities charred with windows broken, and cars burning in the streets filled with debris.
Local governments said four people were also injured in a joint attack by Russian drones and artillery in the eastern area of Nikopol in the southeastern region of Dnipropximsk.
In the southern Kherson region, a villager died when a falling drone exploded as he tried to take him away from the house.
Russia has denied deliberately targeting civilians, although thousands have died since launching a full-scale invasion of neighboring countries in February 2022.
Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defense reported its air defense units had destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones within an hour: eight over the Bryansk border area and two above Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.