Russia strikes Ukraine’s Kharkiv, leaves 2 dead, wounds 34

KYIV (AFP) — A Russian bombardment of a building in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv on Wednesday killed at least two people and wounded 34, the local governor said.

A guided aerial bomb — a powerful weapon widely used by Russia — hit a building in the major northeastern city, according to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The attack killed a child and at least one other person, leaving 34 people wounded, according to the latest figures from governor Oleg Synegoubov.

The child was an 11-year-old boy, Synegoubov said, adding that more people “may be trapped under the rubble.”

The city’s mayor Igor Terekhov said earlier that people were trapped in the upper floors of the building.

The airstrike destroyed several floors, he added.

Video circulating online showed a gaping hole in the facade of the tall building.

Kharkiv lies around 30 kilometers from the Russian border and has been pounded by Russian aerial attacks throughout the two-and-a-half-year war.

On Wednesday evening, Zelensky called on his Western allies to act in response to the strike.

“Every decision they delay means at least dozens or even hundreds of such Russian bombs against Ukraine. Their decisions mean the lives of our people,” he said on Telegram.

Zelensky has asked Western countries to provide Ukraine with better defenses, particularly long-range weapons.