A Russian missile attack struck a hotel in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, on Wednesday evening, wounding 11 people, local authorities said.
The strike comes just ahead of the war’s second anniversary, with both Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of inflicting dozens of civilian casualties in a sharp escalation of attacks.
“Two missiles hit a hotel in the center of Kharkiv. There were no military personnel there. Instead, there were 30 civilians, 11 of whom were wounded,” Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov posted on Telegram.
Photo: AFP
One of the wounded is in “very serious condition,” he said, adding that “Turkish journalists are among the victims.”
Those hurt in the strike were “hotel staff and guests, one of whom is a foreign journalist,” the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said.
Rescuers evacuated 19 people, the service said on Telegram, sharing a video of the operations, which showed a small building with blown-out windows.
Several other buildings, including two apartment blocks, were also reported damaged in the latest strike.
“In addition to the hotel, residential buildings were affected — one communal, one private, a car dealership and a manufacturing enterprise,” Terekhov said.
Kharkiv Governor Oleg Sinegubov said that two Russian S-300 missiles had hit the hotel at about 10:30pm.
Nine of the 11 wounded were hospitalized and two were treated on-site, with a 35-year-old man the most seriously injured, he said.
Located about 30km from the Russian border, Ukraine’s second-largest city has seen regular and often deadly aerial assaults.
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