Air raids last 16 hours per day on average in Kharkiv Oblast obstructing business operations, governor says

Air raids in Kharkiv Oblast last an average of 16 hours a day, which significantly complicates business operations, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on June 17 on national television.

Moscow has recently intensified attacks against Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, as well as Kharkiv Oblast, with the use of missiles, glide bombs, and drones, destroying energy infrastructure and killing civilians.

"Work for businesses is hampered by incessant air raids – 16 hours on average (per day)," Syniehubov said.

"The power outage schedules are also in effect. We are constantly communicating with our retailers to maintain their presence in the oblast."

Syniehubov said that Russian forces continue to strike regional settlements and destroy civilian infrastructure.

Russia’s move on Kharkiv has bogged down. But was it a failure?

In the first half of May, Russia opened a new front to its war against Ukraine in dramatic fashion. The two-pronged offensive on Kharkiv Oblast unfolded on the back of some of the most difficult months for Ukrainian forces, overstretched and depleted after a brutal winter and early spring campaign

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Nearly 50,000 residents in Kharkiv Oblast are without electricity supply due to the destruction caused by the Russian attacks, according to the governor.

The local authorities are trying to restore the power supply, but the work of the services is complicated by the proximity to the Russia border, Syniehubov added.

Russia launched a new offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast on May 10 in a push that involved as many as 30,000 troops, according to a Ukrainian official.

Russian forces suffered around 4,000 troops killed or injured during their offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast between May 10 and June 10, according to the Ukrainian military.