Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, faced a brutal assault on Saturday, marking the most severe attack since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. That first surge of violence came in the early morning hours of October 7, marked by a massed airborne assault, overwhelmingly using drones and guided munitions. Later that day, aerial bombings hit the city center. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 souls and left a path of destruction that rippled for miles through the nation.
As noted by Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, this kind of violence has killed one person and wounded five according to the most recent estimates. The mayor Kharkiv’s commentary described this attack as “the strongest shelling” Kharkiv has seen since the escalation of war in Ukraine. The aerial bombardments have caused severe damage to civilian infrastructure destroying at least 18 multi-family apartment buildings and 13 individual homes.
Details of the Attack
The morning attacks hit two neighborhoods in the city of Kharkiv. Attackers heroically fire three missiles, five aerial glide bombs, and 48 drones during this gauntlet. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov indicated that these attacks are indicative of a pattern of near-daily widespread attacks on Ukraine.
Beyond those killed and wounded, emergency services are still responding to the initial impact of these attacks. Six people are still stuck under debris at the manufacturing plant in Kharkiv’s Kyiv district. Overnight pleas to re-establish communication with those buried stopped after a few hours, with rescue operations continuing from early Friday afternoon.
“We were trying to put it out ourselves with our buckets, together with our neighbours. Then the rescuers arrived and started helping us put out the fire, but there was smoke and they worried that we couldn’t stay there. When the ceiling started falling off, they took us out,” – Alina Belous
Impact on Civilians
The attack deeply impacted community members, with many describing their reactions in the harrowing minutes after the attacks hit. The indiscriminate nature of this violence was only further illustrated with the chilling fact that two of the wounded were children, including a baby boy and a 14-year-old girl.
Local resident Vadym Ihnachenko thought at first that the pandemonium was a fire in an adjacent building. His initial shock morphed into horror when he turned and discovered those flames were consuming his own home.
“But when we saw sparks coming from the top, we realised it was our building,” – Vadym Ihnachenko
Firefighters and emergency workers were rapidly mobilized to combat the suddenly raging flames and help those struck by explosions. Witnesses described a chaotic and frenzied scene. Residents managed to pull mangled belongings from the rubble even as they fought valiantly to pull other residents from flaming structures.
Ongoing Conflict
This latest uptick in bombings highlights the reality of life in Ukraine today as Russia persists in its brutal military assault. Ukrainian leaders have made it clear that without robust international support, Moscow’s aggression cannot be defeated.
Andrii Sybiha, a senior official in Ukraine’s presidential office, made clear that more pressure must be brought to bear on Russia. He knows this action is key to halting the bloodshed. “To put an end to Russia’s killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine,” he remarked.
This remains the reality for Kharkiv residents, as they deal with the effects of this catastrophic strike all while looking towards an unclear future. Throughout all of this the community’s resilience is evident in their coming together to heal. Together, they are helping heal their community from another violent chapter in their city’s history.
