Update: Russian missile attack on Kharkiv injures at least 19 people, including a baby, local authorities report
Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
Russian forces launched a missile attack on a residential neighborhood in the city of Kharkiv, injuring at least 19 people, including a six-month-old baby, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Jan. 2.
Six of the wounded were hospitalized, including a woman in serious condition, Syniehubov said. He added that the baby did not require hospitalization.
In total, 25 people sought medical assistance following the attack, which included six people who suffered from severe stress due to the attack, according to Syniehubov.
The attack destroyed a five-story apartment and damaged other civilian infrastructure, a shopping center, and cars, according to the local authorities.
"The building was completely destroyed by the strike, and a fire broke out," Syniehubov said in his Telegram post.
The rescue operation is ongoing, as more people could be under the rubble, according to Syniehubov.
The preliminary information suggests that Russian forces used two missiles in the afternoon attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Unfortunately, this is exactly how the Russians treat life and people — they continue their killings, despite all the efforts of the world, and above all the United States, in the diplomatic process," Zelensky wrote on Telegram following the attack.
"Only Russia does not want this war to end and every day does everything it can to ensure that the war continues."
The Jan. 2 attack comes a day after Russian troops struck the Feldman Eco-Park near Kharkiv with a glide bomb. Oleksandr Feldman, a Ukrainian member of parliament and founder of the eco-park, said that dozens of animals were killed and wounded.
Located just about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border and the nearest front line, Kharkiv has endured regular Russian attacks, resulting in civilian casualties and considerable destruction across the city.
