At least 21 civilians, including two 12-year-old girls and an 8-year-old boy, were wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv on Tuesday, according to prosecutors.
Russian forces used glide bombs in three waves of attacks, striking more than 20 targets, according to Oleksandr Filchakov, Kharkiv region prosecutor.
Glide bombs can carry hundreds of kilograms of explosives and are dropped from aircraft which — in the case of attacks on the Kharkiv border region — do not even need to enter Ukrainian airspace.
Writing on Telegram, Filchakov said that several apartment blocks, a shopping center, and an education institution were damaged in the bombardment that also set cars and garages ablaze.
The attack comes as Russian forces continue their advance into the Kharkiv region. Russian troops are regaining control of villages and areas of Ukraine that they were forced from near the end of 2022 during a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service on Tuesday said over 7,500 civilians had been evacuated from their homes during heavy fighting in the north of Kharkiv region.
Reporting live from central Ukraine, CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh said Russian troops are moving fast and have better resources and better ammunition. It is also clear that Ukrainians have failed to build sufficient defenses in the region.
Ukraine is calling for more rocket artillery ammunition and missiles to be sent to them as a priority, especially 155mm shells, so that it can repel Russia’s resurgent invading force.
