Russian Missiles Strike Kyiv and Kharkiv, Claiming a Minimum of 3 Lives
Russian missiles struck three Ukrainian cities on Tuesday, including the country’s largest, resulting in a toll of at least seven casualties and extensive damage to residential buildings.
Moscow rejected any proposed agreements supported by Kyiv and Western allies to resolve the nearly two-year-old conflict.
The onslaught involved over 40 missiles, including ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft, and guided missiles, marking one of the most intense bombardments since early January.
Ukrainian air defenses, equipped with Western-supplied systems, reported intercepting 21 of the missiles.
The ongoing attacks maintain a state of anxiety among Ukrainians, while the front line, spanning 1,500 kilometers, has seen minimal changes.
The inability of both sides to achieve significant battlefield advancements has shifted the conflict toward trench and artillery warfare.
Analysts suggest that Russia had amassed missiles at the end of the previous year, indicating a strategy for a winter campaign of aerial attacks.
Russia Launches S-300, Kh-32, and Iskander Missiles
In the assault on Tuesday, Russia deployed S-300, Kh-32, and hypersonic Iskander missiles. The attack in Kharkiv, situated in northeastern Ukraine, resulted in the death of six individuals and caused injuries to 57, including eight children, according to the United Nations.
The missiles inflicted damage on approximately 30 residential structures, and in the freezing conditions, hundreds of windows were shattered, as reported by the regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Five-story apartment building in Kharkiv appeared to have been directly struck by multiple missiles around dawn.
The attack left an unknown number of people trapped in the rubble as the temperature dropped to minus 7 degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Kharkiv, located approximately 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border, has frequently experienced the impact of Russia’s winter campaign, characterized by long-range strikes targeting civilian areas.
In Kyiv, four districts were subjected to an attack that resulted in injuries to at least 20 people, including a 13-year-old boy, as reported by Mayor Vitalii Klitschko.
Initial reports suggesting a civilian fatality in the capital were later corrected, indicating that the wounded person was hospitalized on life support.
UN staff conducted visits to a Kyiv neighborhood with a damaged residential building, a school, a sports center, and a kindergarten.
Additionally, a missile strike in Pavlohrad, an industrial city in the eastern Dnipro region, resulted in the death of a 43-year-old woman.
The attack also damaged two schools and eight high-rise buildings, as per the country’s presidential office.
