Tragic incident claims the lives of at least 16 individuals in a DIY store assault in Kharkiv, a city in Ukraine.
The police confirmed that six of the casualties had been identified, including a twelve-year-old girl who was visiting the city. Authorities requested DNA samples to help identify the remaining victims. Previously, the death toll was estimated to be 14.
The Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko, shared that there were 43 people injured and 16 missing. It required "over sixteen hours" to extinguish the fire in the market, which was the result of targeted Russian air strikes, according to Klymenko. The city endured intense shelling throughout the day. Footage released by law enforcement depicted employees and customers in the store, followed by an explosion and darkness.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, stated that approximately 200 people were present in the building at the time of the assault. He referred to it as a "barbaric" act of violence. "Only someone as deranged as Putin could take human lives in such a vicious manner," asserted Zelensky, alluding to the Russian president.
As per Governor Oleh Synyehubov, a DIY store located near the outskirts of the city was struck by two guided missiles on Saturday. The structure caught fire, leading to blazes engulfing an area of approximately 13,000 square meters.
A cleaner working in the store described the terrifying incident, "It happened instantly. Initially, we were uncertain of the situation, the skies went dark and everything came crashing down on top of us." She managed to escape through the help of her smartphone's flashlight. "Flames blocked our path," she recounted.
Epitsentr DIY chain is a retailer of DIY tools and appliances. Russian news agency Tass reported, citing security sources, that a "military camp" and a "command center" were destroyed within the building.
Governor Synegubov disclosed that 25 people sustained injuries in a separate assault on the Kharkiv city center on Saturday evening. The district housed multi-story office buildings, a post office, a hair salon, and a coffee shop.
In the village of Bohuslavka, a 72-year-old woman passed away, and two more individuals were injured, including a nine-year-old, according to our governor.
Kharkiv is the second-largest city in Ukraine, situated on the northern border with Russia and frequently subjected to Russian military strikes. Last Thursday, seven fatalities occurred in Russian attacks on the city.
On May 10, the Russian military initiated a ground offensive in the Kharkiv area, resulting in the most significant territorial gains in the past 18 months. Governor Synegubov stated that over 11,000 people in the region had to leave their homes due to the hostilities.
On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense proclaimed that Russian forces had "liberated the settlement of Berestove in the Kharkiv region as a result of successful offensive actions". The village of Berestove lies on the eastern front line, close to the Luhansk region, which is almost entirely under Russian control.
That evening, Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones. The Ukrainian air force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, stated that there were 14 missile strikes and over 30 drone attacks. The majority of the missiles were intercepted. In the central Ukrainian region of Vinnytsia, three individuals received injuries and houses were damaged by debris from a downed drone.
Zelensky requested additional air defense systems and modern fighter planes from his Western allies. He conveyed, "If Ukraine had sufficient air defense systems and advanced fighter jets, Russian attacks like these would be impossible."
Zelensky also beseeched the US President, Joe Biden, and Chinese President, Xi Jinping, to partake in a Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland the following month. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, had previously asserted that China was fueling the war in Ukraine by supporting Russia, potentially endangering ties with the West.
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Source: www.stern.de
