Archive photo: People go shopping for food along houses destroyed by mortar attacks on Nov. 8, 2023 in Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Eugene Hertnier/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russian forces struck Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast on the morning of Dec. 28, killing a 66-year-old woman and wounding another resident, reported Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor.
The second victim, a 63-year-old woman, is being treated on the scene, he said on Telegram.
As a result of the attack, possibly carried out with multiple-launch rocket systems, a car caught fire, according to Syniehubov.
The town of Vovchansk, with a pre-war population of around 17,500 people, lies some 60 kilometers northeast of Kharkiv and less than 10 kilometers from the border with Russia.
Located near the front line and the Russian border, cities, towns, and villages such as Vovchansk suffer from near-daily attacks by Russian forces.
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European countries stepped in to fill the gap, increasing military aid to Ukraine by 67% and non-military support by 59% in 2025, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
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