Kharkiv Under Fire: Russian Guided Bomb Attack Triggers Tragic Blaze

Russian forces attacked Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with a guided bomb, resulting in one death and eight injuries, including an 8-month-old infant. This assault set buildings ablaze near the city center. Despite frequent attacks, Kharkiv has remained outside Russian control since the February 2022 invasion.

Russian forces attacked the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second- largest city, with a guided bomb, killing one person, injuring eight and setting ablaze buildings and vehicles, officials said. Mayor Ihor Terekhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the bomb hit near the city centre, triggering a fire. He put the death toll at one, with an 8-month-old infant among the injured.

Regional Governor Oleh Synehubov said a post office was ablaze. Emergency services were examining the area. Kharkiv, located about 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks in the war but remained out of Russian hands in the early stages of Moscow's February 2022 invasion. Russian forces have increasingly relied on guided bombs in their assaults.

Russian forces launched a cross-border incursion into the Kharkiv region last month and seized a number of villages, but Ukrainian officials say the situation near the border has been stabilised.