Russian shelling hits apartment block in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, officials say

KHARKIV: Russian forces shelled a five-storey apartment building on Thursday in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, triggering a fire and causing damage, officials said, warning that residents could be trapped under rubble.

“A fire has broken out. People could be under the rubble,” Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said of the attack, which occurred at about midnight local time.

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Mayor Ihor Terekhov said several strikes had occurred in the area after the initial hit and reported a series of explosions.

Kharkiv withstood Russian advances in the early weeks of the invasion, but has in recent weeks been repeatedly hit by Russian attacks.

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Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians. Thousands have been killed and injured since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.