At least 1 confirmed dead and 46 wounded after Russia attacked the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro with swarms of drones on late Tuesday, officials said.
Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion over three years ago, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and located close the Russian border, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian drone and missile attacks.
According regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, the attack on the city on Tuesday injured at least 45 people, including a pregnant woman and two children.
The strikes came as the US, which has tried to broker a peace accord between Russia and Ukraine, announced that it would step back as a mediator unless Moscow and Kyiv made serious proposals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a three-day truce from May 8-10 to commemorate the Soviet Union and its allies’ victory in World War II, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy demanded an immediate ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said several areas of the city, which has been devastated by successive attacks, had been targeted on Tuesday. About 1.2 million people live in Kharkiv, compared to nearly 2 million before Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
The full scale of the overnight attack on Ukraine was not clear. Both sides deny targeting civilians.
Separately, governor Ivan Fedorov said that a 45-year-old man was injured in a Russian attack in a village in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partially occupied by Russia.
Two people were also hurt in Russian shelling of the southern city of Kherson, the city’s military administration said.
