KYIV, Ukraine — Intense Russian offensives on Kharkiv, the eastern Ukrainian city, have left at least four individuals dead and over two dozen others injured, local officials reported on Saturday. These attacks further diminished the slim hopes for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.
In the early hours, Kharkiv was struck by an extensive Russian assault comprising drones and missiles. According to local authorities, this initial barrage claimed the lives of at least three people while injuring 21 others. Later in the afternoon, Russia launched aerial bombs on the city’s center, resulting in additional casualties: at least one person was killed and five were wounded, as per the city’s mayor.
The ongoing violence coincided with both Ukraine and Russia laying blame on each other for attempting to disrupt a planned exchange of prisoners. This exchange was slated less than a week after Kyiv embarrassed Moscow with an unexpected drone attack on Russian military airfields located deep within Russia.
The relentless attacks on Saturday are indicative of the persistent widespread assaults faced by Ukraine. Russia’s use of aerial glide bombs is part of an aggressive campaign in this all-out war, commenced on February 24, 2022.
As emergency services rushed to various sites across Kharkiv, residents recounted harrowing tales of fiery attacks that devastated their homes and threatened their lives. Alina Belous, one resident, described her desperate attempts to quell the flames with buckets of water to save a girl trapped in a burning building. “We tried to extinguish it ourselves, but the smoke was overwhelming. Luckily, rescuers arrived to help us,” she recounted.
Another local, Vadym Ihnachenko, recalled the moment he initially mistook the blaze for a fire in a neighboring building. “It wasn’t until we saw sparks atop our building that we realized it was ours,” he said.
The Ukrainian air force reported that overnight, Russia deployed 215 missiles and drones, with Ukrainian defenses succeeding in shooting down 87 drones and seven missiles. Besides Kharkiv, other Ukrainian regions like Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Ternopil also came under attack.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for increased international pressure on Moscow to halt the ongoing “killing and destruction” while emphasizing the need to bolster Ukraine’s defenses.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged that its forces initiated a nighttime barrage on Ukrainian military facilities, targeting ammunition stores, drone manufacturing sites, and weapon repair facilities. Moscow, however, has not commented on the rising casualties in Kharkiv.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov lamented the devastation, noting damage to 18 apartment buildings and 13 private homes. He described this onslaught as “the most powerful attack” since the conflict’s inception.
Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, detailed that the morning’s attack included three missile strikes, five aerial bombs, and 48 drones, impacting two city districts. The youngest casualties included a baby boy and a 14-year-old girl among the wounded.
Additionally, six individuals are believed trapped under debris in the city’s industrial zone, and rescue operations are ongoing despite lost contact with those trapped.
In the broader conflict, as negotiations show no progress with each side far removed from any conciliatory terms, the deadlock over a proposed prisoner exchange persists. Accusations fly between Kyiv and Moscow over the stalled swap of 6,000 dead soldiers’ remains.
Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky reported that Russian vehicles carrying Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies were halted just when an imminent swap was to take place, whereas Ukrainian authorities rebuffed this claim, alleging Russia’s machinations and inaccuracies.
Amidst this turmoil, Ukraine’s Security Service has furnished a video purportedly capturing its bold strike on Russian air bases, where Kyiv claims to have destroyed 41 Russian aircraft. This comes after prior negotiations facilitated a significant prisoner exchange.