The death toll from an overnight Russian missile strike on an apartment block in Kharkiv has risen to five, regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on May 31. Meanwhile, the United States has given Kyiv the go-ahead to use its weapons to strike inside Russia for the purpose of defending the eastern Ukrainian city from Russian attacks.
Deadly Overnight Russian Missile Attack Targets Kharkiv
- By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service,
- AFP,
- AP and
- EPA-EFE
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Emergency personnel recover the body of a person killed during an overnight Russian missile attack on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on May 31.
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Regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said that as first responders rushed to the scene, Russia launched a second missile in what is known in military terms as a "double tap," injuring an emergency doctor and destroying an ambulance.
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Vyacheslav Vlasenko, 71, is comforted as he waits for news of his relatives who were trapped in the rubble. At least five people were killed and 25 wounded.
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Emergency personnel carry the body of a person killed during the attack.
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Russia has stepped up its attacks on Kharkiv, located just 35 kilometers from the border, as part of an attempted Russian offensive in the region that President Vladimir Putin claimed is meant to establish a "buffer zone" to prevent Ukrainian strikes inside Russia's territory.
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Emergency personnel worked throughout the morning searching for survivors.
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A woman tends to her wounds as she is comforted by others.
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