UPDATE WITH INJURED TOLL, CHANGE IN HL/LEDE
By Alperen Aktas
ISTANBUL (AA) — Two Russian Iskander ballistic missiles struck a five-story residential building in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Friday afternoon, injuring at least 30 people, local officials reported.
"The blow fell on a residential multi-story building in the Kyivskyi district of the city. According to preliminary information, there are casualties and significant damage," Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram.
"At this moment, there are 30 injured people," Terekhov added in a later update.
Oleh Synyehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, stated that the attack left the building in the city center "completely destroyed."
Ruslan Vragov, director general of the Kharkiv Regional Clinical Hospital, stated that five of the injured are in moderate condition, while one woman remains in serious condition.
According to the city council, the shelling caused significant damage to infrastructure, destroying a shopping center and damaging a hospital where over 100 windows were broken.
Heating networks and power grids were also hit, forcing the temporary suspension of trolleybus and tram services on Sumska and Myronosytska streets.
Emergency services, including law enforcement and medical personnel, are conducting search and rescue operations at the site, where a fire broke out, and the facades of nearby structures were damaged.
Kharkiv, located roughly 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border, remains a frequent target of aerial attacks amid the nearly four-year war.
Russian authorities have yet to comment on the attack, and independent verification is difficult due to the ongoing conflict.