KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched its first airstrike on the northeastern city of Kharkiv since 2022 on Wednesday, killing at least one civilian and wounding 16 others, local officials said.
The airstrike caused widespread damage, hitting several homes and damaging the city’s emergency surgery institute.
Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian cities, Kiev endures shelling for third time in five days
Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine in recent days, firing several missile barrages at the capital Kiev and attacking energy infrastructure across the country in apparent retaliation for recent Ukrainian airstrikes on the Russian border region of Belgorod. is attacking. However, such sporadic attacks have been frequent throughout the war.
An injured man walks past the body of a man killed in a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Mariyenko)
The Kharkiv region crosses the front line where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting for more than two years, since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The region is frequently attacked by missiles and drones.
Kharkiv police investigation chief Sergei Bolbinov said in a Telegram post that Wednesday’s attack was the first time an aerial bomb was used since 2022. Regional governor Oleh Sinievov also reported the use of aerial bombs.
The latest escalation comes as Ukraine’s exhausted military suffers from shortages of manpower and ammunition and faces increasing Russian pressure along a front line stretching more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy fired the top security official and replaced him with a new head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service.
In a video address late Tuesday, President Zelenskiy fired Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and thanked him for his work. The president did not give a reason or provide further details, but said that Danilov “will be transferred to another region.”
Zelensky was succeeded by Oleksandr Litvinenko, the former head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The National Security Council is a policy coordination body chaired by Zelensky. Mr. Danilov had held the position since October 2019, several months after Mr. Zelenskiy became president.
The dismissal follows President Zelensky’s decision in February to fire General Valery Zarzhiny, head of Ukraine’s armed forces, and replace him with Colonel Oleksandr Shirsky. Tensions between Mr. Zarzhini and the president increased after Ukraine’s much-touted summer 2023 counteroffensive failed to reach its goal. This month, Mr Zarzhini was appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK.
