UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Oct 31 – Around 03:00 a.m. on October 29, Russian troops shelled the Osnovianskyi district of Kharkiv.
The attack hit houses with residents inside, killing four people: two men, aged 25 and 26, and two women, aged 70 and 86. Five houses were completely destroyed, and 19 were partially destroyed.
Russia has been attacking Kharkiv frequently in almost three years since the full-scale invasion because of its proximity to the border and frontline. The attacks significantly intensified this summer, with the Russian push onto the Kupiansk axis and new modifications introduced to their glide bombs.
More than 50 houses and four cars now require repairs after the Russian attack.
“The private sector has been affected, with a lot of houses. We have counted 52 residential properties that need help [with repairs — ed]. We are talking mainly about roofs and broken windows. We are now working to sort out the consequences [of the strike],” said Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Yevhen Vasylenko, a spokesman for the State Emergency Service in Kharkiv region, reported that rescuers have managed to unblock the bodies of the victims from under the debris.
He noted: “At the beginning, when it was known that people were under the rubble, rescuers had to almost manually go through the debris to find the bodies of the dead. The buildings that were completely destroyed had a lot of construction debris. Now, we have already unblocked the bodies and started clearing the surrounding areas and the remains of the houses.”
A local resident residing near the epicenter of the strike said that the owners of two houses located opposite each other were among the dead.
“Two young men and a woman died in the same house, and one of them was staying with a friend that night, so he didn’t live here, but the attack happened on the day he stayed overnight. There was another 86-year-old woman who lived across the street, and unfortunately, she also died.”
She also says that she was at home with her family at the time of the strike, and she was terrified when she heard the explosion.
“Like everyone else, we have no windows. The whole street is now without them. I live a little further away, I think there could have been more damage for us, but we were saved by a tree, a walnut tree,” the woman explained.
The city council says that everyone whose home was damaged by the strike must register at the mobile Administrative Services Center, certify the impact and extent of the damage, and then receive compensation from the state.
It has been established that the Russians struck Kharkiv with an FAB-500 glide bomb with a modified module, the city council says, although earlier reports suggested that a Grom-E1 hybrid missile had hit.
Other consequences of the destruction are yet to be established. Representatives of city services continue to work on the ground to restore communications.
Earlier, on October 28, at around 21:00, Russian troops also launched an air strike on the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kharkiv. The bomb hit one of the entrances of the State Industry building (Derzhprom), located in the city center, injuring nine people. Derzhprom is an architectural and urban planning monument of national importance and is under temporary enhanced protection by UNESCO.
Author: Oleksandra Tarasenko
Cover photo: Kharkiv resident affected by Russian attack on the Osnovianskyi district of the city on October 29, 2024 / Liza Bykova, Gwara Media
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