At least eight people, including two children, were killed and 10 others injured after a Russian missile struck a residential building in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Saturday, officials said.
The strike hit a five-storey apartment block, leaving parts of the structure in ruins as emergency workers searched through debris for survivors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack and called for a stronger international response to the continued strikes by Russia.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched 29 missiles and 480 drones overnight, targeting energy facilities in Kyiv and other central regions. Ukrainian air defence systems intercepted 19 missiles and 453 drones, though several projectiles managed to reach their targets.
Damage was reported in at least 22 locations across the country, according to preliminary data.
In Kharkiv, located in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border, rescue workers were combing through rubble hours after the strike in an attempt to locate survivors trapped under debris.
Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said the victims included a primary school teacher and her son, a second-grade student, who were killed in their home. An eighth-grade student and her mother also died in the attack.
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The regional Prosecutor’s Office said the building was struck by a new Russian cruise missile known as “Izdeliye-30.” Ukrainian reports said the subsonic air-launched weapon has a range of about 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) and uses an advanced satellite navigation system designed to resist electronic jamming.
Elsewhere, authorities reported damage from falling debris in three districts of the Kyiv region following air defence interceptions.
In the southern Odesa region, around 80 firefighters were deployed to tackle large fires at infrastructure facilities after multiple drones targeted the area.
Ukraine’s state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said damage to rail infrastructure forced changes to several train routes in the country’s central and western regions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said the overnight strikes targeted Ukrainian military factories, energy facilities and air bases.
Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s international partners to continue supporting the country’s defence.
“There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life,” he wrote on social media, adding that cooperation with the European Union was crucial to strengthen protection for Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
Russia has launched tens of thousands of Iranian-designed drones at Ukraine since it invaded the country in February 2022, intensifying its aerial campaign in recent months.
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