At least 7 killed as Russian missile hits apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine

A Russian missile attack on a five-story residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has killed at least seven people and wounded 10, including three children, Ukrainian officials said.

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian missile hit a five-story residential building in Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv on Saturday, killing at least seven people and injuring 10, including three children, officials said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack and called for an international response. He said Russia struck Ukraine overnight with 29 missiles and 480 drones, targeting energy facilities in Kyiv and other central regions, and damage was reported in at least seven other locations across the country.

According to preliminary data, air defense systems shot down 19 missiles and 453 drones with 9 missiles and 26 strike drones were recorded at 22 locations.

In Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, emergency workers combed the rubble and searched for survivors.

In the Kyiv region, damage from debris was reported in three districts, according to local authorities. In the southern Odesa region, 80 firefighters were called to help fight a massive fire at infrastructure facilities after multiple drone attacks. Ukraine’s state rail operator Ukrzhaliznytsia said damage to rail infrastructure had forced changes to several lines in the country’s mid-west.

“There must be a response from partners to these heinous strikes against life,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “Russia has not abandoned its efforts to destroy Ukraine’s housing and critical infrastructure, so support must continue. We will actively work with the European Union to ensure greater protection for our people. I am grateful to everyone who helps strengthen our defenses.”

Russia has flown tens of thousands of Iranian-designed drones over Ukraine just four years after invading its neighbor. It has begun large-scale domestic production and battered Ukraine with hundreds of drones in a single night — more than it used in a few entire months in 2024.

Iran has responded to joint US-Israeli strikes by launching similar drones over Middle Eastern countries.

Zelensky said he had received a U.S. request for support to defend against Iranian drones in the Middle East and had ordered the provision of equipment along with Ukrainian experts.

The war in the Middle East has drawn international attention from Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II and forced the postponement of a new round of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for this week.