Russia struck apartments in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, killing at least three people and injuring 31 others, local officials said.
The strikes, which hit high ground and other residential areas, were carried out using guided glide bombs on Tuesday.
“The targets of the Russian bombs are a residential building, a bakery, a sports field… that is, the normal life of ordinary people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The attack comes as fighting escalates in the east of the country as Russian troops surround and seal off the heavily damaged town of Vuhledar.
Shortly after Tuesday’s explosion in Kharkiv, Zelensky issued a statement sharing photos of a collapsed residential tower – showing a hole in the middle of the building.
He asked his allies to “stop being afraid”. He is in New York to speak at the annual UN General Assemblyas it came on Monday underscoring Ukraine’s need for timely US military assistance.
“There are many discussions now in the UN General Assembly about joint efforts for security and the future. But we just need to stop fear. To have security. To have a future,” said Zelensky.
Meanwhile in Kharkiv, officials said Russia had sent strikes to at least four districts in the city and the block that was hit had been hit earlier in the war.
“It was almost repaired, all the windows were put in, steel was put in, they were prepared for the heating period. The enemy hit it a second time with the KAB [glide bomb],” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekov said on Telegram.
Russia has increasingly used glide bombs in recent months – Soviet-era bombers have been fitted with wings and satellite navigation systems. They are cheap, destructive, and said to be key to Russia’s bid to capture more territory in Ukraine.
They were used in May in the attack on Kharkiv, and military analysts also noted that they appeared to be used first used in the city of Zaporizhzhia Sunday night.
Ukrainian officials said Russia carried out seven airstrikes with KAB glide bombs, injuring at least 21 civilians in attacks on 13 residential buildings and two educational institutions.
Zaporizhzhia officials also said Russia carried out another strike in the southeastern city on Monday night, killing one person and injuring at least four, including two children.
Russian troops have made major advances in eastern Ukraine and are approaching Vuhledar – a coal mining town in the southern part of the Donbas front line. The Russians have been trying to take this city since the beginning of their all-out attack.
On Monday, Russian military bloggers reported that Moscow troops had entered the outskirts of the city in the Donetsk region. The Ukrainian military has made several attempts to take over its positions in Vuhledar.
Meanwhile, Russian troops have also recently advanced near Hlyboke, Kupyansk, and Pokrovsk, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War.
A monitoring group said Ukrainian forces had recently advanced in the Kursk region.
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