In a tragic start to Good Friday, Russia launched a brutal missile attack on Kharkiv, a major city in northeastern Ukraine, killing one person and injuring at least 82 others — including six children.
According to Ukrainian emergency services, the early morning strikes targeted residential areas, a local school, and a business facility. Firefighters and medics rushed to the scene, where chaos unfolded amid shattered buildings and screams of the wounded.
“This is how Russia began this holy day – with ballistic and cruise missiles, and Shahed drones, maiming our people and destroying our cities,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X (formerly Twitter). He condemned the attack as another cruel chapter in Russia’s ongoing aggression.
Heartbreaking footage released by Reuters shows emergency responders treating bleeding victims outside damaged apartment complexes. Among the survivors is Inna Khrystych, who described the terrifying moment her home was hit.
“Everything went flying. The windows blew out. My husband didn’t survive,” she said, her voice heavy with grief.
Another resident, Andriy Ponomarenko, recalled the frantic search for his four-year-old daughter through smoke and shattered glass. “We thought the blood was mine, but she had a cut near her eye,” he said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister revealed that four missiles were launched at Kharkiv — three of them ballistic and reportedly carrying cluster warheads. “Russia is a terror machine,” he said, “and it will not stop unless met with overwhelming force.”
Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed that 15 apartment buildings were damaged in the strike, according to initial reports.
The attack raises new concerns over the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement established last month, which aimed to protect energy infrastructure on both sides. Although both Russia and Ukraine agreed to the moratorium, each has since accused the other of violating it.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, President Zelenskyy noted that while attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems have slowed, Russia is now targeting civilian infrastructure with full force.
Further north in the city of Sumy, another drone strike hit a factory producing Easter cakes, killing one and injuring another. Ukrainian officials continue to document these assaults as part of a disturbing pattern of violence against civilian targets.
As international leaders watch with growing alarm, Ukraine continues to call for stronger global support to push back against what it calls acts of terror.
