Russian glide bombs kill 6 in Kharkiv after night of 205 drones
Russian bombs hit Kharkiv on Monday, killing six people and injuring about 59, including three children, officials said. The strike came hours after Russia fired 205 drones at Ukraine overnight. Those drones killed one person in Kharkiv and hit a major bridge in Kyiv.
Russia hit Kharkiv with three guided bombs on Monday afternoon, killing six people and injuring about 59, Ukrainian officials said. Three of the injured were children. An 11-year-old girl was in serious condition, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
The bombs struck the city's Slobidskyi district, hitting an industrial area and ground near a high-rise apartment building, the Kyiv Post reported. Later Monday evening, the toll rose to six dead and about 59 injured after rescuers found another victim's remains under the rubble, both Reuters and the Kyiv Post reported. About 30 of the injured were in the hospital. The blasts damaged dozens of homes and at least 20 cars, and fires burned across nearly 15,000 square meters. One resident told Reuters Television she grabbed only her documents and ran outside.
Glide bombs are heavy bombs fitted with wings and guidance kits, the Kyiv Independent explained. Russian jets can release them from tens of kilometers away, out of range of many Ukrainian air defenses. That makes them hard to stop. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, sits about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border, so it is often in range.
The bombing followed a heavy night. Russia launched 205 drones at Ukraine overnight into Monday, including 49 jet-powered models, Ukraine's air force said, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine. Air defenses downed or jammed 172, but drones still hit 13 sites. One person was killed in Kharkiv's Industrialnyi district, the Kyiv Post reported, and a drone struck Kyiv's Northern Bridge, injuring two.
The attacks came just after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz left Kyiv, where he pledged more than €1.3 billion in new aid, including interceptor drones and air-defense missiles.
Some background: Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and Kharkiv has been under steady attack ever since. Last Friday, guided-bomb strikes on three of the city's districts killed two women and injured 42 people, the Kyiv Post reported, citing Ukrainska Pravda.
What we know: Six people died and about 59 were hurt in Monday's bombing, which followed an overnight drone attack.
What we don't: Whether anyone else is trapped, and how long repairs to Kyiv's bridge will take.
Where outlets agree Reuters and the Kyiv Post both report that Russian bombs killed six people and injured about 59 in Kharkiv on Monday.
Where they differ Ukrainian officials say the bombs hit homes and a workshop, while Moscow has long said its strikes aim only at military and defense-industry targets.