The missile strike on dormitories in Kharkiv was performed by Russian aviation with a series of missiles in the evening of 17 August and in the morning of 18 August 2022.[5] This became one of the largest attacks on Kharkiv[6] and one of the most tragic nights of the city.[7] The impact killed 25 people[1] including an 11-year old boy.[2] 44[3][8] were injured (including three children[4]).
Kharkiv dormitories missile strike | |
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Part of the bombing of Kharkiv in the Battle of Kharkiv during the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
Location | Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine |
Date | 17-18 August 2022 (UTC+3) |
Target | Residential dormitories |
Attack type | Missile strike |
Deaths | 25[1] (including one child[2]) |
Injured | 44[3] (including 3 children[4]) |
Background
At the very beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian soldiers tried to capture the city, but failed; Kharkiv has been subjected to almost constant shelling by artillery shells and rockets since then.[9]
Course of events
On 17 August 2022, at 4:30 a.m., several rockets were fired from Belgorod on the Slobidskyi and Saltivskyi districts of Kharkiv.[4] In the Slobidskyi District, a four-story hostel of a tram depot was hit together with adjacent repair workshop and neighboring non-living building.[10]
The second missile attack was carried out at 21:30 and destroyed a three-story hostel in the Saltivskyi district, where people with hearing impairments lived.[4] The missile attack caused a fire, and the building was completely destroyed.[11][8]
Victims
In the Slobidskyi district, on the day of the tragedy it was known that two people were killed and 18 were injured, including two children.[4] Subsequently, the bodies of six people were excavated from under the ruins.[12] Ten units of fire and rescue equipment worked at the scene of the shelling along with forty rescuers of the State Emergency Service.[12]
In the Saltivskyi district, 19 people were killed[13] and 22 injured,[14] including an 11-year-old child.[4][2]
Reactions
Ukraine
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said: “When you hear about Kharkiv Saltivka, it’s pain again. Pain for all Ukraine. Pain for Kharkiv,” he wrote. “Rocket attack… On the hostel… The building is completely destroyed.” The President described the killing of residents as "a vile and cynical blow to civilians, which has no justification and demonstrates the impotence of the aggressor".[4]
According to the head of the military administration of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Synyehubov: “The Russians brutally and purposefully attacked civilians. And now in their so-called "media" they are spreading another fake about "military facilities". There are no military installations. Exclusively civilian facilities, including pensioners and children. This is real terrorism, which only fiends are capable of!”.[15]
Russia
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the missile attack on Kharkiv in its briefing. According to their version, “a high-precision ground-based weapon hit a temporary base for foreign mercenaries” and as a result, “more than 90 militants were destroyed”.[16]
Mourning
On August 19, mourning was declared in Kharkiv in memory of those killed by Russian shelling.[12]
References
- ^ a b "Вцілілі в пеклі: поранені під час обстрілів гуртожитків Харкова не вірять, що вижили". Факти. 23 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Quinn, Allison (18 August 2022). "11-Year-Old, Mom of Famous Ukrainian Athlete Among a Dozen Killed in Kharkiv Bombings". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ a b "Ракетные удары по Харькову: список жертв растёт". euronews. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ночные удары по Харькову: 11 погибших, больше 30 раненых". BBC News Русская служба. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "At least 17 dead and dozens injured in Kharkiv after overnight shelling". Meduza. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022.
- ^ "One of largest attacks on Kharkiv took place overnight Oblast Military Administration". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Ukraine live briefing: Russian strikes pound Kharkiv; U.N. chief to discuss grain deal, nuclear risk". Washington Post. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ a b "В Харькове под обстрел попало общежитие. Погибли семь человек". Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Santora, Marc (17 August 2022). "Hard-hit Kharkiv is rocked by more blasts". The New York Times. 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Ранковий удар 18 серпня прийшовся по Комінтернівському трамдепо Харкова: відомо вже про трьох загиблих" (in Ukrainian). Delo. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "At least six killed as Russia shells Kharkiv flats: Governor". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ a b c "Жертвами ракетных ударов по Харькову за последние дни стали более 20 человек". NEWSru.co.il. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Удар по триповерхівці у Харкові: пошукові роботи завершені, кількість жертв зросла до 19". Укрінформ. 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Загальна кількість жертв обстрілів гуртожитків Харкова зросла". РБК-Україна. 19 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Мать украинской легкоатлетки погибла в результате российского обстрела Харькова". Delfi RUS. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ ""Искандеры» по общежитиям. После ночных ударов по жилым районам Харькова погибли 10 гражданских, 37 ранены — Россия называет атаку «высокоточной"". Медиазона (in Russian). Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
External links
- Media related to Rocket strike on a dormitory in Slobidskyi District at Wikimedia Commons
- Media related to Rocket strike on a dormitory in Saltivskyi District at Wikimedia Commons
- Ukraine: Unlawful Russian Attacks in Kharkiv, Human Rights Watch
- Missile Strike Kills 6 Civilians in Kharkiv, as Front Remains Static, New York Times