November 19: A Russian missile strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Balakliia killed three people and wounded 10 others, including three teenagers, regional officials said on Monday, as Moscow intensified its attacks on the Kharkiv region.
Oleh Synehubov, governor of the region bordering Russia, said the overnight strike hit multi-storey residential buildings and destroyed numerous cars in the city centre. A photograph released by local authorities showed a damaged brick apartment block with shattered windows, flames rising from an upper floor and debris strewn across the area.
Vitali Karabanov, head of Balakliia’s military administration, said three teenagers were among the injured, and nine of the wounded were hospitalised. Reuters was unable to independently verify the details of the attack. Moscow has not commented on the strike.
Russia has stepped up missile, drone and artillery barrages on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv and surrounding areas in recent months, damaging homes, energy infrastructure and leaving residents under frequent air-raid alerts. Both sides deny targeting civilians, though thousands have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
Local authorities said parts of the region, including the city of Izyum, were left without electricity overnight after additional strikes late on Sunday injured a 14-year-old.
