The number of wounded in the Russian missile attack on Kharkiv in the evening of Dec. 30 has risen to 28 people, including two children and a foreign citizen, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Twelve of the wounded are still hospitalized, but no deaths have been so far reported, according to the governor. The attack occurred between 7:00 to 7:20 p.m. local time, and law enforcement had found debris of Iskander missile at the site, he added.
The kids, hospitalized, are aged 14 and 16, Syniehubov said. Reuters cited Ukrainian officials as saying that a security advisor of a German media was injured. The Kharkiv Palace hotel, often used by foreign journalists and aid workers, was heavily damaged in the attack.
Residential buildings, a hotel, and premises of health care institutions – including a regional clinical hospital, regional dental polyclinic, and two city hospitals – were damaged, according to the governor.
Russia later launched its second attack against Kharkiv hours later. No casualties were reported in the second attack, but a bank, a research institute, residential buildings, administrative buildings, and cafes had suffered damages, Syniehubov reported.
The wounded in the hospital are in light to medium conditions, according to the governor.
The missile strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, comes a day after Russia launched its largest drone and missile strike across the country, killing over 40 people.
Located roughly 40 kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkiv particularly vulnerable to Russian missiles, being in range of the S-300 system as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
Igor Kossov
