Rescue workers remove rubble after an attack targeted a building in Kharkiv at dawn today, Thursday (Anatolia)
Ukrainian officials said on Thursday that Russia launched a drone attack on the city of Kharkiv, targeting residential buildings and an energy facility in the surrounding area, which led to the deaths of 4 people and a power outage to about 350,000 residents.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Sinyhopov said that 3 rescue workers were killed in a Russian strike after they arrived at a residential building that had been subjected to a previous attack, and he confirmed that 12 people were injured; 3 of them are in critical condition.
Sinyhopov said that Russia used at least 15 drones in the attacks it launched on Kharkiv, and that some of those drones also targeted a power station in the region in continuing pressure on the energy grid, which has been subjected to repeated attacks and air strikes in the past few weeks.
A statement issued by the company operating the city's electricity networks said, "In Kharkiv and places in the region, there are about 350,000 people without electricity."
For its part, the Kharkiv Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the attack caused damage to residential buildings, shops, a medical facility, and cars.
Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine and is located about 30 kilometers from the Russian border. It is also one of the Ukrainian cities most vulnerable to Russian bombing.
Ukrainian officials are intensifying calls for their Western allies to provide more ammunition and air defenses, including modern American Patriot systems, to confront Russian attacks with drones and missiles.
However, US aid to Ukraine has begun to decline due to opposition from the Republican camp supporting former President Donald Trump, which is blocking a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine that President Joe Biden had pledged.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies