Russia attacks Kharkiv:
At least four people have been killed by Russian forces’ use of drones, missiles, and guided bombs in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. A local official described the attack as “the most powerful attack” on the region since the war began.
The attacks on Saturday coincided with conflicting signals from Kyiv and Moscow that seemed to jeopardize an agreed-upon exchange of prisoners of war.
Russia launched 215 missiles and drones overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which reported on Saturday that Ukrainian air defenses shot down and neutralized seven missiles and 87 drones.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, had at least three fatalities in the evening, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, who called the attack “the most powerful” on the city since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
kharkiv under aerial bombardment:
According to the mayor of Kharkiv, Russia unleashed aerial bombs on the city center later on Saturday, killing one person and injuring five others.
More than 60 people, including children and an infant, were injured in the two attacks, according to local officials.
According to Terekhov, the 1.4 million-person city, which is only 50 kilometers from the Russian border, was hit by 48 Iranian-made drones, two missiles, and four guided bombs before sunrise.
Alina Belous, a resident of Kharkiv, told The Associated Press news agency that she had attempted to use buckets of water to put out fires in order to save a young girl who had shouted for assistance while trapped in a blazing building.
Together with our neighbors, we were attempting to extinguish it ourselves with our buckets. The rescuers then showed up and began assisting us in extinguishing the fire, but they were concerned that we might not be able to stay there due to the smoke.
They got us out when the ceiling began to collapse,” she remarked.
Surge in Attacks:
Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin acknowledged that Russian shelling struck the city of Kherson in the south, killing a couple and causing damage to residential buildings. Two ladies, ages 45 and 88, were hurt in separate attacks in Dnipro.
Russia launched an aircraft bombardment across Ukraine on Friday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more, according to officials. Another body was found by rescuers in Lutsk on Saturday, bringing the total number of victims from Friday’s attacks to seven.
Moscow said that military sites were targeted in Friday’s attack, which was carried out in retaliation for Ukrainian “terrorist acts” against Russia.
An extraordinary Ukrainian drone operation last weekend damaged nuclear-capable military aircraft at Russian airbases located far behind the front lines, notably in Siberia, which prompted the spike in Russian strikes
According to reports, Kyiv used smuggled drones to prepare the strike for 18 months, and Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to react.
According to reports, the hit was directed against Russian bombers who were getting ready to launch operations against Ukraine.
However, Ukraine is still pushing for a 30-day truce, and during Monday’s discussions in Istanbul, it made its most recent request.
Moscow, meanwhile, has denied calls for an early truce, claiming that the conflict is necessary for the country’s existence.
Kyiv has rejected Putin’s demands that Ukraine leave four partially occupied areas, give up its NATO aspirations, and cease any military cooperation with the West. Instead, President Zelensky has proposed for a three-way summit with US President Trump, Putin, and himself.
Source: Al Jazeera and other media outlets
