Five people were killed and nine injured in Russian strikes on villages in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast, local authorities reported on May 19.
The villages of Novoosynove and Kivsharivka were targeted by multiple launch rocket systems, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a post on Telegram.
Three men aged 58, 64, and 65 and two women aged 56 and 72 were killed.
Moscow has intensified its attacks on Kharkiv Oblast in recent months, forcing thousands of local residents to flee.
The attacks, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians, have further spiked after Russia launched its new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast’s border areas.
Also on May 19, Russian troops attacked a northern suburb of Kharkiv at around 11 a.m. local time, killing five civilians including a pregnant woman and wounding 16.
“(Russian troops) attacked the area where local residents were resting,” Syniehubov said, condemning the attack. A paramedic was among the wounded, and an ambulance was damaged, Syniehubov said.
The attack took place in Mala Danylivka, roughly 70 kilometers southwest of the fiercely contested Vovchansk.
In a later post on Telegram, Syniehubov said Russian forces had fired two Iskander ballistic missiles in a "double-tap" strike – a common Russian tactic in which a target is struck once and then again shortly after, the second strike deliberately targeting rescue workers.
Later in the afternoon, Syniehubov said a pregnant woman was among those killed and an eight-year-old girl among those injured. She was said to be in a "stable condition."
Of the other 15 people injured, nine are in a "serious" condition.
In a post on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned "Russian terror" and reiterated his calls for more air defense systems from Ukraine's allies.
"The world can put an end to Russian terror. To achieve this, the lack of political will among leaders must be overcome," he said.
"Two Patriots for Kharkiv will fundamentally change the situation. Air defense systems in our other cities, as well as sufficient support for our warriors on the frontlines, will ensure the defeat of Russian terror."
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
