KHARKIV, Ukraine, (Reuters): Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Saturday, damaging infrastructure and killing at least seven people, including two children, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 480 drones and 29 missiles targeting energy facilities and railway infrastructure across the country. He urged international partners to continue supporting Ukraine’s air defence.Ukraine’s air force said air defence units shot down 453 drones and 19 missiles. However, nine missiles and 26 attack drones struck 22 locations.
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said the city was targeted by both drones and missiles. A Russian ballistic missile struck a five-storey residential building, killing seven people, including two children.
Fifteen people were wounded in Kharkiv, while 19 residential buildings were damaged. Commercial and administrative buildings, electricity distribution lines, and vehicles were also hit.
In the capital Kyiv, three people were injured after Russian strikes hit an energy facility, knocking out heating in 2,806 apartment buildings across four districts, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo said emergency power cuts were introduced in seven regions after the attacks.
Officials also reported strikes on four railway stations in central Ukraine and port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region, where containers of vegetable oil caught fire and a grain warehouse was damaged.
