Four Killed In Russian Strikes On Kharkiv: Governor

Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd May, 2024) Russian strikes on the eastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv killed four people, the regional governor said Thursday, in the latest aerial bombardment on the war-battered hub.

The surrounding region of Kharkiv has become the latest flashpoint of the war after Russian forces launched a surprise ground offensive in the border territory this month forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents.

"According to preliminary data, four people were killed in the strike on Kharkiv. The location of two more people is being established. Russian army struck at least 15 times," Governor Oleg Synegubov said in a post on Telegram.

Mayor Igor Terekhov said earlier that another six people were injured.

Kharkiv, which is the second-largest city in Ukraine and lies just dozens of kilometres from the border with Russia, has been under persistent shelling since Moscow's forces invaded in February 2022.

They have in recent weeks made their biggest territorial gains in the war-battered east of the last 18 months as Ukraine waits for desperately needed US and European weapon supplies.

The advances in Kharkiv have forced nearly 11,000 people to flee their homes since Moscow launched its ground assault on May 10, regional officials said Thursday.

Russian authorities meanwhile said that Ukrainian attacks on the border region of Belgorod and in the occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk left two dead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his army launched the offensive in Kharkiv to create a buffer zone that would protect Russian border villages from Ukrainian attacks.

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