War

Russian missile strikes Kharkiv Oblast, killing teenage girl, injuring 9

1 min read
Russian missile strikes Kharkiv Oblast, killing teenage girl, injuring 9
Russian attacks on Kharkiv overnight on June 5, 2025 injured at least 17 people, including four children. A Russian drone struck a high-rise residential building in Slobodsky district of the city. (Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)

A seventeen-year-old girl was killed and nine others were injured in an overnight Russian missile attack on the city of Berestyn in Kharkiv Oblast on Nov. 18, regional authorities said.

The girl was critically wounded in the strike and later died of her injuries at a hospital, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

A sixteen-year-old boy was among the wounded. Seven of the nine wounded have been hospitalized with blast trauma, officials said.

The attack came one day after a Russian missile strike on the town of Balakliia killed three people and wounded 15 others, including three children.

Russian forces have intensified their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast this year, prompting a rise in attacks on towns and villages farther from the front line.

Avatar
Lucy Pakhnyuk

News Editor

Lucy Pakhnyuk is a North America-based news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in international development, specializing in democracy, human rights, and governance across Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Her experience includes roles at international NGOs such as Internews, the National Democratic Institute, and Eurasia Foundation. She holds an M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Read more
News Feed
Russia

The unnamed project, lacking a defined team or political platform, seeks to offer an alternative to the Kremlin at a time when Russia's opposition operates largely from abroad and remains fractured, with its ability to influence domestic politics remaining low.

Video

Hungary is heading into what could be its most consequential election in decades — and Ukraine has become a central issue in the campaign. The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek reports from Budapest, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban, after 16 years in power, is facing his strongest challenge yet from opposition leader Peter Magyar.

Show More