At least six people were killed and ten wounded in a Russian drone attack on Kharkiv overnight, Ukrainian officials said, following the latest in a series of increasingly frequent Russian attacks on Ukraine's second-largest city.
The attack, which took place around midnight local time, further fueled speculation that Russian commanders may be preparing for an offensive in the coming months to try to capture the city, according to Radio Free Europe's Ukrainian service.
Two days earlier, a Russian drone strike killed four people, including three emergency workers who were hit while responding to a previous attack.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine announced in a Telegram post that "six people were killed and at least ten were injured as a result of the enemy strike."
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said that Iranian-made drones hit at least nine high-rise buildings, three dormitories and a gas station.
Photos posted by Ukrainian police on Telegram show several fires in civilian areas, including near a high-rise building.
Regional Governor Oleh Sinehubov reported the attack in Kharkiv and the rocket attack on a village north of the city, saying that an apartment building, a kindergarten, a gas station, a cafe, a shop were hit and cars were set on fire.
An airstrike warning remained in effect for several hours after the attack for Kharkiv and most of Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv.
An airstrike warning remained in effect for several hours after the attack for Kharkiv and for much of Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv.
Ukraine's military said its air defenses destroyed 28 of 32 drones and three of six missiles launched by Russia.
The chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Andriy Yermak, told the Politiko portal that he sees Kharkiv as the most likely target of a new Russian offensive in May or June.
On Friday, at least four people were killed and 20 wounded after Russia fired five missiles at the city of Zaporozhye in the south of the country. Among the wounded in the city, which is located near the front line in the war with Russian forces, were two journalists who were reporting on the aftermath of the attack.
The Russian military did not comment on the strikes, but announced that Ukraine fired Vampire missiles into Russian territory this morning.
All 10 missiles were shot down in the area of the Russian border region of Belgorod by the air defense system, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced.
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