Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

Updated: Civilian casualties reported amid intense Russian attacks in Kharkiv Oblast

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk May 10, 2024 3:27 PM 2 min read
Illustrative image of a Red Cross car evacuating a civilian from Vovchansk on Sept. 2023. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Editor's note: The article was updated at 10 p.m. local time, May 10, with updated information from the Prosecutor General's Office.

Intense Russian attacks in the north of Kharkiv Oblast, which forms part of the Ukraine-Russia border, have killed three civilians and injured four others, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on May 10.

The Defense Ministry reported earlier on May 10 that Russian forces had attempted a breakthrough of Ukraine's line of defense in Kharkiv Oblast at 5 a.m. local time, with "battles of varying intensity" continuing.

"The border communities of Kharkiv Oblast are under increased massive enemy shelling," Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported at around 3 p.m. local time.

The attack killed two civilians – a man and a woman – in Vovchansk, a town situated 50 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Kharkiv and just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the border with Russia. Vovchansk was under Russian occupation from February to September 2022.

The strike against Vovchansk further injured three men and a 63-year-old woman, the prosecutors said at around 8 p.m. local time.

A 55-year-old man was killed at around 12:50 p.m. local time in Cherkaski Tyshky, a village located just outside of Kharkiv, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Russian border, Syniehubov said.

Moscow recently intensified attacks against Kharkiv and the surrounding region amid reports that Russia might plan to attack Kharkiv as part of a wider offensive.

Syniehubov said on May 8 that Russia is forming a grouping of forces north of the city of Kharkiv and that the authorities are "closely monitoring" the situation.

The governor reported earlier on May 10 that the attack "does not pose a threat to Kharkiv," and Russia has gathered enough forces only for "provocations in the northern direction."

Defense Ministry: Russian forces attempt breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast
Russian forces attempted a breakthrough of Ukraine’s line of defense in Kharkiv Oblast, the Defense Ministry reported on May 10.

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

6:30 PM

NASA astronaut on Russian colleagues backing war against Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post sits down with retired U.S. astronaut Col. Terry W. Virts to discuss his time aboard the International Space Station alongside Russian colleagues in 2014–2015, during Russia’s annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine's eastern regions.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.