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Record longest air raid alert in Kharkiv, six explosions recorded

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Record longest air raid alert in Kharkiv, six explosions recorded
A drone view of a damaged apartment building following a Russian air strike near Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2024. Around 4 pm on May 14, the Russian military hit Kharkiv with UMPB D-30 guided air bombs. (Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)

At around 1 a.m. on May 17, a lengthy air raid alert was finally lifted in Kharkiv Oblast after officials reported numerous Russian drone strikes and a ballistic missile threat.

The air alert had lasted over 16 and a half hours, the longest since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Six explosions were recorded in Kharkiv throughout May 16. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed that one of the drone strikes caused a fire in Kharkiv’s Kholodnohirskyi district.

Kharkiv has been frequently targeted in recent weeks, and fighting continues around several villages near the Russian border following a recent Russian incursion.

Military: Russian forces in Kharkiv Oblast contained, fighting continues
A military spokesperson said fighting was continuing in the Lyptsi and Vovchansk directions and Ukrainian forces were hunting down Russian troops he said were hidden in forested areas.
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Sonya Bandouil

North American news editor

Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.

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The Kyiv Independent staff documented what it feels like to live and sleep in Kyiv, Ukraine, as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks on the city. Filmed over several weeks in June and July, our journalists take shelter in bathrooms, basements, and parking garages as explosions ring out overhead.

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