Russian strikes on Kharkiv kill five, including toddler

At least five people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old child, have been killed after a series of Russian attacks struck residential areas in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. More than 30 others were injured or left in severe shock.

The Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said Russian forces launched a missile strike on the city’s industrial district at around 22:50 local time (19:50 GMT) on Sunday. The rocket landed close to a multi-storey apartment building, causing panic among residents and leaving 11 civilians, including a 13-year-old girl, with acute stress reactions. Preliminary findings suggest an Iskander missile was used.

In the early hours of Monday, five drones targeted another residential block in the same district. The attack caused partial collapse of the building, killing five people and injuring at least 19 more. Children were among the casualties, authorities confirmed.

Emergency workers and rescue teams have been deployed to the site, with the injured receiving medical treatment. Ukraine’s authorities have opened a war crimes investigation. 

Kharkiv’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, has declared a day of mourning in the city.