In Kharkiv, as a result of the night attack by Russian forces, fragments of the body of the eighth victim were found under the rubble of a destroyed five-story building. This was reported by the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Synegubov.
This is reported by Finway
“Fragments of the body of the eighth victim have been discovered under the rubble of the destroyed residential five-story building in Kharkiv,” said the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Synegubov.
In total, 15 people were injured as a result of the rocket attack. Four of them were hospitalized, including an 11-year-old boy who is in critical condition in intensive care. A 6-year-old boy from the same family was also injured; he has been diagnosed with bruises, and his condition is assessed as satisfactory.
Consequences of the strike for the city
According to preliminary estimates, 14 people may still be trapped under the rubble. The rocket attack damaged 19 multi-story buildings, a school building, and destroyed several trade pavilions. The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, specified that among the deceased are a primary school teacher from Lyceum No. 6 and her son, a second grader. An eighth-grade student from Lyceum No. 16 also died along with her mother. The mayor of Kharkiv expressed condolences to the families of all the victims of the tragedy.
Massive attacks on Ukraine and the classification of Russia’s actions
According to the Air Force, the Russian army launched 480 drones and 29 missiles at the territory of Ukraine. Air defense shot down 453 drones and 19 missiles. The main attack directions were Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr region, Khmelnytskyi region, and Chernivtsi region.
Russian military forces systematically use various types of weapons – strike drones, missiles, aerial bombs, and multiple launch rocket systems – to attack Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure in various regions of the country. Ukrainian authorities and international organizations emphasize that such strikes have the characteristics of war crimes committed by the Russian Federation and are targeted in nature.
Shelling of energy facilities, hospitals, schools, and other structures vital for the population, aimed at depriving people of electricity, heat, water, communication, and medical assistance, is considered as actions that have the signs of genocide. Human rights activists and genocide researchers emphasize that Russia is carrying out actions that fall under the definition of genocide, including:
- public statements of intent to destroy Ukrainians as a nation;
- targeted strikes on the civilian population and infrastructure;
- persecution of people with pro-Ukrainian positions in occupied territories;
- destruction of the intelligentsia and bearers of Ukrainian culture;
- forced deportation of children and alteration of their identity;
- destruction of Ukrainian books and cultural values.
The UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948, defines genocide as actions aimed at the complete or partial destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Currently, 149 states have joined the Convention, which obliges them to prevent such crimes and hold accountable those responsible during wartime and in peacetime.
At the same time, the leadership of Russia denies involvement in targeted strikes on civilian infrastructure, despite the evidence of the destruction of hospitals, schools, energy facilities, and other vital structures in cities and villages of Ukraine.