UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Jul 31 — Russia uses the tactic of targeted hits on gatherings of the civilian population in Kharkiv Oblast, reported Oleh Syniehubov, governor of the region. 

“The enemy picks civilians, medical care cars, evacuation cars, and cars of emergency services. Those are priority goals,” Syniehubov said. 

Over the last day, Russia launched missiles at a warehouse in Vasyshcheve, a village on the outskirts of Kharkiv, killing one and injuring seven people (the number of casualties has risen since Gwara’s journalists have been to the hit site). 

Earlier in the day on July 30, Russia launched attacks on Shevchenkivskyi and Slobidskyi districts of Kharkiv, injuring three people.

In Kupiansk, Syniehubov reports, a Russian strike killed one and injured two people. Kupiansk is a city that Russian troops are trying to encircle because of its logistical importance for the region. Just about 5% of buildings there are intact, and the rest are destroyed or damaged by Russian attacks, officials report. 

On July 29, they hit Novoplatonivka in Borova community, killing seven people (the number of killed in an attack also increased — two people died in hospitals) and injuring 2. People in the village were standing in the queue for humanitarian aid before the Russian rockets hit. 

Kharkiv oblast, located in the northeast of Ukraine, borders Russia and is encroached by Russian troops from north, east, and southeast. 

Read more

Gwara is a Kharkiv-based independent newsroom that works to tell you about our vibrant home while it resists Russia’s war of aggression and endures through its consequences. Please, consider buying our journalists a coffee or subscribing to our Patreon to support our reporting long-term