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- Kharkiv — which almost fell to Russian forces in 2022 before they were pushed back by the Ukrainian army — has seen relentless attacks this year
MOSCOW: A firefighter was killed by a Ukrainian drone in Russia-controlled Luhansk region in the eastern Ukraine, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Sunday.
The drone’s explosives detonated when Vyacheslav Glazunov, 33, was extinguishing a fire in the Novoaidar district triggered by fallen drones, the ministry said on Telegram. Another two firefighters were injured, it added.
Meanwhile, a Russian strike on a residential neighborhood of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv wounded 21 people, Kyiv said.
The strike hit hours after Russian attacks killed five people — including two children — in central Ukraine.
Kyiv earlier said it struck two ammunition depots in Russia this weekend, including what it called a key arsenal for Moscow’s invasion.
Kharkiv — which almost fell to Russian forces in 2022 before they were pushed back by the Ukrainian army — has seen relentless attacks this year.
“Last night, Russia struck Kharkiv again, this time with aerial bombs targeting an ordinary residential building,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.
“As a result, 21 people were injured, including an eight-year-old child and two 17-year-olds,” he added.
Regional leader Oleg Synegubov said two people were in critical condition. He said dozens of residents were asleep when the building was struck.
Kharkiv — which was home to 1.4 million residents before Russia’s invasion — has been bombed heavily this year.
The city’s mayor Igor Terekhov said at the site: “As you can see, there are no military here.”
“Every day and every night Kharkiv suffers the hits,” he added.
Zelensky said the attack showed why his forces needed to use weapons supplied by Western allies to strike deeper into Russian territory, which so far, they have refused to authorize.
He is due in the US in the coming days, in a last-ditch effort to convince the West to let Kyiv use delivered long-range weapons to hit Russian targets.
“We need to strengthen our capabilities to better protect lives and ensure safety. Ukraine needs full long-range capabilities,” he said.
“We are working to convince our partners of this. We will continue these discussions next week.”
In Washington, he is due to hold talks with Joe Biden, as well as both US presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.