Casualties And Destruction In Kharkiv Amid Russian Missile Attacks

A woman views a damaged residential building in Kharkiv where Russian strikes killed a 73-year-old man and injured 11 others on June 23, regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram.

Located just 35 kilometers from the border with Russia, Ukraine's second-largest city has undergone several days of repeated aerial guided bomb attacks that continue to maim and kill its civilians.
 

An aerial view shows the devastation following the attack on an educational institution and nearby apartment buildings.

 

An interior view shows a destroyed classroom.

The attack on Kharkiv came after Russia struck the city on June 22 with four aerial bombs, hitting a five-story residential building (pictured), which killed at least two people and injured dozens.



 

Russia has escalated its attacks in recent months as part of an offensive that President Vladimir Putin claimed is meant to establish a "buffer zone" to prevent Ukrainian strikes inside Russia's territory.
 

Police officers inspect the body of a victim after the attack on June 22.

Russian missiles take seconds to reach Ukraine's second-largest city, making air-raid sirens nearly redundant.

 

Police inspect the body of a victim killed during the June 22 attack.
 

Burned cars stand in the rubble-strewn street following the attack.

The lack of modern air-defense systems has left Ukraine unable to secure the skies over its cities.


 

Rescuers evacuate an injured woman.

The million-plus residents of Kharkiv are especially vulnerable to Russian missile and drone attacks.

A bomb technician looks for fragments inside a crater.

 

A resident retrieves a dog from the destroyed apartment building.

 

With a prewar population of approximately 1.4 million people, hundreds of thousands of residents fled following the Russian invasion in 2022. However, many have since returned.