Russia pummels Kharkiv with missiles in "brutal attack" as Zelensky asks to use US weapons
Kharkiv, Ukraine - A daytime Russian missile attack on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Thursday killed at least seven people, with 16 others injured, Kharkiv military governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Syniehubov said on his Telegram channel that there had been at least 15 strikes by Russian missiles. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that the strikes had hit transport infrastructure and a private company.
A renewed attack later hit Kharkiv and Derhachi, a town to the north-west, causing a further 13 injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the "extremely brutal attack," which took place during peak traffic and not at night, as is usual.
Zelensky said the Russians were exploiting the lack of adequate air and asked for permission to use weapons supplied by the US to hit to strike Russian positions just across Ukraine's border.
Ukraine's allies have provided high-tech weapons on condition that they not be used to strike Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Western arms deliveries would not prevent Russia from pursuing its war aims.
Russian forces close in on Kharkiv
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city by population before the war, has come under repeated aerial attack from drones, missiles and glide bombs.
Some two weeks ago, Russian forces advanced across the border in the region and are now less than 12 miles from the city's outskirts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that the aim is not to occupy Kharkiv, but rather to create a buffer zone to prevent Ukrainian forces from mounting attacks on Belgorod and other Russian cities close to the border.
Military observers say, however, that the Russian forces are aiming to penetrate in depth, rather than along the wide front that would be needed for a buffer zone.
An attempt to seize Kharkiv was repelled in the early days of the invasion more than two years ago, with Russian forces suffering heavy losses.
Cover photo: REUTERS