Kharkiv Under Fire: Russians Launch 20 Strikes on the City in One Day

On April 2, 2023, Russian military forces conducted a series of at least 20 strikes on the city of Kharkiv, employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in their attacks. These assaults persisted for over a day, resulting in considerable destruction and inflicting injuries on the civilian population. This alarming information was reported by Bogdan Hladkykh, the director of the city's emergency services department, during a media briefing.

According to Hladkykh, the attacks on the city commenced during the night of April 1 and continued at intervals of one to three hours. "We have already recorded 20 hits that have been ongoing since last night. We see that there are casualties; their number is increasing in accordance with the number of strikes. The enemy is launching continuous attacks, and this is having serious consequences for the residents," he stated.

In the Osnovyansky district of Kharkiv, Hladkykh reported that one of the Russian drones struck a building of a non-operational hotel. "There were no people inside, as the hotel was not operational, but there are two injured individuals — visitors from a nearby café located merely 10 meters from the impact site. Their condition is moderate, and they are receiving appropriate medical assistance," the department director explained. He also noted that the attack resulted in a fire on the roof and upper floors of the building, complicating the efforts to mitigate the aftermath due to wooden structures.

Furthermore, he indicated that the attack also damaged a church building in the Osnovyansky district. "This is yet another example of how the enemy disregards civilian objects and destroys everything in its path," Hladkykh emphasized.

The attacks were not confined to the Osnovyansky district alone. According to the city mayor, Ihor Terekhov, strikes were also recorded in the Novobarsky district near private homes. "We continue to address the aftermath of the attacks in the Kyiv and Shevchenkivskyi districts of Kharkiv. The situation remains complicated, and the enemy seems to have gone mad," he added.

On April 2, the occupiers launched several strikes on Kharkiv simultaneously. The mayor reported at least 11 attacks in the Kyiv district alone. He also noted that Russian forces utilized kamikaze drones for the first time in their assaults on Kharkiv, indicating an escalation of aggression from the enemy.

These events are part of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which has persisted since 2014, highlighting the continuous threat to civilian populations in regions under bombardment. Kharkiv, being one of Ukraine's largest cities, continues to suffer from the consequences of aggression, and local authorities are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of residents and to address the aftermath of the attacks.