Russia attacked the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Wednesday Ukrainewith bombs air strikes for the first time since 2022, killing at least one civilian and injuring 16 more, according to local authorities.
The airstrikes caused widespread damage to several residential buildings and the city’s emergency surgery institute.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine in recent days, launching several barrages of missiles at kyiv, the capital, and attacking energy infrastructure across the country, in apparent retaliation for recent Ukrainian airstrikes in the Russian border region of Belgorod. However, such sporadic attacks have been common throughout the war.
The Kharkiv region crosses the battlefront where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been locked in battles for more than two years since Moscow launched the war in February 2022. The region is frequently attacked with missiles and drones.
Sergey Bolvinov, head of Kharkiv’s investigative police department, said in a Telegram post that Wednesday’s attack was the first time aerial bombs were used since 2022. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov also reported the use of aerial bombs.
The recent escalation comes as exhausted Ukrainian troops face shortages of personnel and ammunition and increasing pressure from Russia along the border, which stretches more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed one of his top security officials on Tuesday, replacing him with the head of the foreign spy agency.
Zelensky dismissed Oleksii Danilov, who served as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, thanking him for his service in a video speech delivered Tuesday night. The present gave no reason and said, without giving details, that Danilov would be “reassigned to another area.”
Danilov’s replacement is Oleksandr Lytvynenko, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
The National Security Council, chaired by Zelensky, is a body for coordinating measures. Danilov had been his secretary since October 2019, months after Zelensky assumed the presidency.
The dismissal follows Zelensky’s decision to dismiss the top military officer, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and appoint Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi in his place. Tension between Zaluzhnyi and the president grew after the much-touted counteroffensive fell short of its goals. This month, Zaluzhnyi was appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
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Source: Gestion
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