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Update: Russian cluster munition attack on Kharkiv Oblast injures 6, including Vovchansk official

by Rachel Amran and The Kyiv Independent news desk May 16, 2024 9:18 PM 2 min read
A woman walks towards the impact cloud from a Russian bomb in Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, on May 11, 2024. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russian forces attacked a village near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast with cluster munitions on May 16, injuring six people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

A previous version of this article reported that only five people were injured in the attack.

Two medics, two drivers, a local resident, and the head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration were injured, according to the governor's statement.

Tamaz Gambarashvili is the head of the Vovchansk City Military Administration.

Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said earlier in the day. Cases of executions have also been reported.

Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the two countries' shared border in northeastern Ukraine.

Moscow's troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed on May 15 that Russian units had entered the northern parts of the town, but the Ukrainian military reportedly prevented them from establishing a foothold deeper in Vovchansk. There is ongoing combat in the northern outskirts of Vovchansk as of the morning of May 16.

Ukraine's General Staff reported that Ukrainian troops thwarted Russia's plans to gain a foothold in the town's deeper urban areas.

Minister: Russia captures, shoots civilians in northern Vovchansk
Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 16.

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