In broad daylight on January 2, Russian forces attacked central Kharkiv. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said civilians were among the wounded.
The strike hit a multi-story residential building in the city’s Kyivskyi district, Terekhov said. He reported significant destruction and injuries. At least 12 people were wounded, according to the mayor.
Viktor Zabashta, director of the municipal Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine, told Suspilne Kharkiv that among the injured were people in serious and moderate condition. The wounded sustained shrapnel injuries and fractures. He warned the toll could rise as people may still be trapped under rubble.
Kostyantyn Nemichev, founder of the KRAKEN unit, said a supermarket was also damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to what he called another terrorist act by Russian forces. “Horrific Russian strike on Kharkiv. Preliminary two missiles. Directly at residential buildings. One of the buildings is badly damaged. A rescue operation is underway, and all necessary services are involved. The exact number of victims is unknown,” he wrote. He added that Russia “continues the killings” despite international efforts, “above all the United States,” to advance diplomacy. “Only Russia does not want this war to end and does everything every day to keep the war going. That is why support for Ukraine must continue, and every day we need to strengthen our air defenses, our positions, our protection of people’s lives. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine!”
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, who visited the scene, told reporters that 13 people had required medical care. Six people were hospitalized, and one was in serious condition. “Two missile strikes, preliminarily ballistic. A direct hit on a five-story building. Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” he said.
The building was completely destroyed and a fire broke out. Windows and facades of nearby homes were also damaged.
Terekhov later reported 16 wounded, including one person in critical condition. He said many residential buildings were damaged and a shopping center—closed at the time - was completely destroyed. According to him, there are no facilities in the area that could be considered military targets.
A day earlier, Russian forces struck the Feldman Ecopark on Kharkiv’s outskirts with a guided air bomb (KAB), damaging winter enclosures and an aviary and killing valuable birds; lions were wounded and tigers escaped. The park administration later posted footage showing the scale of the damage.
