Russian bombs and missiles have torn through residential neighbourhoods in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, killing at least six people and injuring nearly 60 in one of the heaviest bombardments the city has suffered in months. The attack, which began on Monday and continued with a second wave early Tuesday, left apartment blocks with their facades ripped off and balconies collapsed, as rescue crews worked through the night to reach people trapped under the rubble.

Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said three bombs struck different areas of the city on Monday, leaving 59 people injured — 30 of them hospitalised, three in serious condition, and three of them children. Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed that emergency crews had recovered bodies from the wreckage as fires burned in the shattered buildings, Reuters reported.

Table of contents

  1. Monday's bombardment
  2. A second wave before dawn
  3. A city that has endured since 2022
  4. The wider front
  5. Key takeaways
  6. Sources
  7. Read more on Chronicle

Monday's bombardment

The strikes hit densely populated districts where there was, in the mayor's words, nothing but residential buildings and urban infrastructure. Facades and balconies on apartment blocks were badly damaged, windows blown out across whole stairwells, and interiors smashed. One resident was found dead in his bed; another body lay on the ground, covered with a blanket. Warehouses near the impact sites were also damaged.

Rescue workers led stunned residents out of the buildings, guiding them carefully around piles of rubble. "We saw two wounded neighbours covered in blood. My daughter went outside, and our cat ran away," resident Viktoriia Nahornyak told Reuters Television as an air raid siren wailed. "I only grabbed my documents and went outside in the clothes I'm wearing right now."

Ukraine's state news agency Ukrinform reported that early counts put the injured at 57, including eight children, and that three police officers were hurt while clearing rubble at one of the impact sites.

A second wave before dawn

Before the city had finished digging out, a second wave struck. At around 4:00 on Tuesday morning explosions were recorded across Kharkiv, and at about 7:15 at least eight more blasts rang out. A section of a five-storey apartment block was completely destroyed, and rescue teams resumed pulling victims from the wreckage. An early report said Russian forces had used a Kh-35 missile in the morning attack, according to Ukrinform's mayor briefing.

The one-two punch underlined a grim pattern: the Monday toll of six dead kept climbing as crews reached deeper into the collapsed buildings, and Tuesday's blasts reset the rescue clock once more.

A city that has endured since 2022

Kharkiv sits just 30 kilometres from the Russian border and has withstood sustained Russian attacks since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. It suffered considerable damage in the war's first months and has remained a frequent target of glide bombs and missiles — but the scale of this week's strikes, hitting multiple residential areas in a single day, stands out even by the standards of a city accustomed to bombardment.

The assault also comes amid a sharp escalation in cross-border strikes by both sides. Just days earlier, Ukraine hit Moscow with one of its largest drone attacks in two years, and the Kremlin has signalled that its autumn campaign will keep pressing Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure as winter approaches.

The wider front

Kharkiv was not the only civilian target. Elsewhere on Monday, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, triggering a fire that injured three people who were initially trapped on the building's ninth floor, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said. Russian air strikes also killed one person in Sloviansk, one of several front-line cities in the Donetsk region that Russian forces are aiming to capture in their slow westward advance through the Donbas.

Key takeaways

  • Russian bombs and a reported Kh-35 missile struck residential neighbourhoods in Kharkiv on Monday and Tuesday, killing at least six people and injuring nearly 60, including eight children.
  • Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said three bombs hit different areas of the city on Monday; 30 of the injured were hospitalised, three in serious condition.
  • A second wave of strikes on Tuesday morning, around 7:15, destroyed a section of a five-storey apartment block and restarted rescue operations.
  • A Russian drone also hit an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia, injuring three people, and strikes killed one person in Sloviansk.
  • Kharkiv, 30 km from the Russian border, has endured sustained bombardment since February 2022.

Sources

Read more on Chronicle

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people were killed in the Kharkiv strikes?

At least six people were killed across the Monday and Tuesday attacks on Kharkiv, and nearly 60 were injured. Officials cautioned the toll could rise as rescue crews continued working through the rubble of collapsed apartment blocks.

What weapons did Russia use?

Governor Oleh Syniehubov said three bombs hit different areas of the city on Monday. An early report on Tuesday's follow-up strike said a Kh-35 missile was used against a residential building, according to Ukrinform's briefing from the mayor.

Were children among the casualties?

Yes. Three children were injured in Monday's strikes, and Ukraine's Interior Ministry later reported eight children among the 57 injured after the combined attacks.

What else was hit in Ukraine this week?

A Russian drone struck an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia, injuring three people who were trapped on the ninth floor, and Russian air strikes killed one person in Sloviansk in the Donetsk region.

Why is Kharkiv such a frequent target?

Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city and sits only 30 kilometres from the Russian border. It has withstood sustained Russian bombardment since the February 2022 invasion, and Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure ahead of winter.