UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Jan 17 — On January 16, at 3:10 p.m., the Russian army hit the Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv with a Molniya drone, injuring three men aged 48, 44, and 46, report local authorities. The men are hospitalized with explosive injuries.
Russia attacks Kharkiv often because of its proximity to the frontline and the state border and uses various weapons like drones, glide bombs, and missiles to do so.
The drone attack damaged the facades of the buildings close to the impact site and damaged five cars, reported the Prosecutor’s Office in the Kharkiv region. Gwara Media journalists have been to the location.
Earlier, Russia used Molniya-1 (“Lightning-1”) drones made from cheap components, aluminum tubes, and plywood in Donetsk Oblast. In November, they started testing these drones in Kharkiv Oblast. Governor Oleh Syniehubov described Molniya construction as “basically junk, but still dangerous” because of its warhead.
Molniya UAVs, like FPV (first-person view) drones, can transmit video but have a longer flight range and can avoid detection by electronic warfare (EW) devices. Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesperson for the Kharkiv Prosecutor’s Office, called Russian Molnyia attacks “planned terrorism”: “This drone could only attack civilians.”
Cover photo: Ambulance workers at the impact site of Russian Molniya drone attack in Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv. January 16, 2025 / Liubov Yemets, Gwara Media
Subscribe to news from Kharkiv, Ukraine
Most important stories from the frontline region
