Massive Russian drone attack kills 2, injures at least 37 in Kharkiv

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia attacked homes and apartment buildings in Kharkiv with drones overnight on June 11, killing at least two people and injuring 37 others, including five children, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported.

The attack struck a five-story residential building in the city’s Slobidskyi district, leaving 15 apartments in  flames, Terekhov said. Several homes in the Osnovyanskyi district were also hit.

At least two people have been killed and 37 have been injured, including five children. The number may rise as authorities search for more victims trapped beneath the rubble.

Earlier in the night, Terekhov warned residents that a “massive enemy drone attack” was targeting Kharkiv. He later reported that Russia carried out 17 drone strikes in the city.

Russia has pounded the city of Kharkiv with relentless aerial attacks in recent days.

A series of attacks with drones, missiles, and KAB guided bombs on June 7 left four dead and around 40 injured, as Russia struck civilian targets in the city throughout the night and again in the afternoon.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “brutal strike” and urged the U.S. to allow Ukraine to purchase urgently needed air defense systems.

Already a frequent target of Russian strikes due to its proximity to the front lines, Kharkiv has also come under fire during Moscow’s recent record-breaking attacks against cities across Ukraine.

Zelensky said on June 10 that Russia has been steadily increasing the number of weapons it launches at Ukraine in its mass overnight assaults.