A barrage of Russian-guided bombs hit a playground and residential building in Kharkiv, killing at least five people, including one child, and injuring 40 others, according to Kharkiv’s regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov.
Syniehubov said on Telegram that a young girl was killed when the playground was hit in the Nemyshlian neighborhood on August 30.
“Occupiers killed a child right on the playground,” Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram.
A video on social media shows multiple cars burning and thick plumes of black smoke towering over the sky.
The Ukraine president’s chief of staff,Andriy Yermak, shared a video showing a tower block engulfed in flames and smoke billowing from the upper floors, with a car ablaze in the parking area.
“Russians hit civilians again,” Yermak said in a post published on Telegram.
In the aftermath of the shocking attack that left a 14-year-old girl dead in Kharkiv earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed a call on Western allies to allow long-range attacks on Russian military air bases following the latest attack.
Video on social media shows multiple cars burning and thick plumes of black smoke towering over the sky.
“All services are currently engaged in the rescue operation. I thank everyone who is helping to save lives at this moment.
“This strike was carried out using a Russian-guided aerial bomb—a strike that could have been prevented if our Defense Forces had the capability to destroy Russian military aircraft at their bases.
“We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror. This is an absolutely legitimate need. There is no rational reason to limit Ukraine’s defense. We need long-range capabilities and the full implementation of air defense agreements for Ukraine. These are life-saving measures.”
Glide bombs are standard bombs that are modified with wings and navigation systems, allowing them to glide toward a target. Some glide bombs are designed this way initially, while others receive these upgrades after production.
The “gliding” enhancements allow the bombs to travel further and are more accurate than unguided bombs.
Russia has been pummeling Ukraine with strikes relentlessly after Kyiv launched a daring incursion on the Kursk border region on August 6, aimed at preventing Moscow’s ability to attack Ukraine.
Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine’s, and the region has long been targeted by Russian attacks, in particular, by highly destructive guided bombs.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian defense minister Rustem Umerov said he had called on European allies to send an air defense shield at a meeting earlier today.
“I am grateful to our European allies for their support. A strong partnership between Ukraine and the European Union is key to ensuring the inevitable victory over the aggressor and achieving a just peace in Europe,” he said.
It comes as Russia claims to have captured three villages in eastern Ukraine, where it is advancing even as Kyiv mounts an offensive deep behind enemy lines.
Russia’s TASS news agency claimed the villages seized were Synkivka, Kostiantynivka, and Novozhelanne.
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