Four children were among those injured in the Russian attacks on Kharkiv, according to regional governor Oleg Sinegubow. For the first time since the beginning of the war, Russia has attacked Kharkiv with a guided missile, and the number of victims could continue to rise, explained Sinegubow.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, a twelve-year-old boy was killed in an attack on the village of Borowa in the Kharkiv region on Wednesday evening. In the southern Kherson region, a 61-year-old woman died in a drone attack on the town of Mykhailivka, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin. According to authorities, a 55-year-old man was killed by artillery fire in Nikopol in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
In the neighboring Mykolaiv region, eight people were injured in a ballistic missile attack, according to the local governor.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia directed 13 Iranian-made combat drones to targets in Ukraine on Wednesday night. Ten of them were intercepted over the Kharkiv and Sumy regions and near the capital Kiev.
In view of the wave of Russian attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the delivery of more anti-aircraft missiles and fighter jets. Strengthening Ukrainian air defense and accelerating the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine are “vital tasks,” Zelensky wrote in online services.
He added: “There are no rational explanations as to why the Patriot air defense systems, which exist in abundance around the world, still do not cover the skies over Kharkiv and other cities.”
Zelensky also visited the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, which borders Russia. There, among other things, he met wounded soldiers and inspected newly built defense lines. “We are strengthening our defense,” Zelensky said.
Due to a lack of ammunition, Ukraine has been on the defensive in Russia’s war of aggression for several months. Massive US military aid is blocked in Washington due to a dispute between Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also pushed for rapid delivery of air defense systems by Western countries during a digital press briefing. Kuleba said the current Russian attacks were characterized by “massive use of ballistic missiles.” These can reach targets at “extremely high speeds,” leaving people with “hardly any time to take cover.” These attacks also caused “significant destruction.”
Russian authorities reported on Wednesday that air defenses had intercepted 18 rockets over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. According to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, two people were injured.
