Russia launches missile attack killing 10 civilians in Ukraine, including children

Russian Missile Strike Kills at Least 10 People in Ukraine’s Kharkiv City

A missile strike on a residential apartment block in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, has resulted in the deaths of at least 10 people, including two children. The attack occurred on Friday and brought down an entire entrance section of a five-storey building, trapping residents under the rubble.

According to authorities, among those killed were a primary school teacher, her son, a second-grade student, a 13-year-old girl, and her mother. Sixteen others were injured in the strike. Emergency crews are still searching for survivors, with warnings that some may be trapped beneath the debris.

Preliminary findings indicate that Russia deployed an Izdeliye-30 cruise missile in the attack. The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office has launched a war crimes investigation into the incident. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces launched 29 missiles and 480 drones, targeting energy facilities in Kyiv and other central regions.

The strike is part of an overnight assault on Ukraine, with damage reported across at least seven locations nationwide. Air defence systems downed 19 missiles and 453 drones, according to Zelenskyy. The European Union has been called upon by the President to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.

US-brokered peace negotiations remain stalled. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa described the attack as “another massacre of children by Russians.” The situation on the battlefield is being closely monitored, with reports suggesting that Ukrainian forces have regained 244 square kilometres in southern Ukraine since January.

Russian territorial gains in February reached a 20-month low, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The institute also noted that Russian forces in the Kharkiv region appear to be regrouping ahead of a possible spring offensive.

Source: Al Jazeera