Kharkiv [Ukraine]: A Russian missile strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, left at least 47 people injured, including five children, on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.
The strike, hit a shopping mall and a major sports center in the Saltivskyi and Nemyshlianskyi districts, not far from the Russian border.
Authorities confirmed that Iskander missiles were used in the assault. Among the injured were seven children, the youngest of whom was only three months old. Several of those injured are in critical condition, according to Kharkiv Mayor, Ihor Terekhov.
Rescue teams and ambulances that responded to the initial attack were also targeted in a subsequent strike, with Mayor Terekhov condemning the “cynical repeat strike” that left even medical personnel injured.
This attack occurred just days after another Russian strike on Kharkiv, which killed at least seven people and injured many more when it hit an apartment block, reported Al Jazeera.
In response to this latest act of violence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his call for Ukraine’s Western allies to provide the country with weapons capable of targeting deeper into Russian territory.
Zelenskyy emphasized that such a move would allow Ukraine to better mitigate the threat posed by Russia. “All the necessary forces of the world must be brought in to stop this terror,” Zelenskyy stated on his Telegram channel, stressing that the decision requires courage from international leaders.
Images and videos from the scene show rescue workers and volunteers assisting the injured, many of whom were covered in dust and debris. Shattered glass and rubble littered the area, with residents fleeing to a nearby metro station for safety.
This missile strike took place just hours after Russia claimed to have intercepted over 150 Ukrainian drones in what it described as a “massive” attack. The strike comes in the wake of a week where Russia launched its heaviest airstrikes of the war, focusing on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Despite Moscow’s denials of targeting civilians, Russian missile and drone strikes have killed thousands of civilians since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Al Jazeera reported.
Zelenskyy also noted that, in just the past week, Russia had fired 160 missiles, 780 guided aerial bombs, and 400 attack drones at Ukrainian cities and military forces.
He reiterated the need for international support, calling for coordinated efforts to destroy Russian missile launch sites, disrupt military logistics, and shoot down incoming missiles and drones.