Kharkiv hospital hit in Russian missile strike that injured 73
Ukraine reported direct hits on medical facilities and widespread energy infrastructure damage as diplomats prepare for peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
By Lorenzo Evans ·
Ukrainian authorities confirmed that at least 73 people were injured on Monday night after Russian forces struck a hospital in Kharkiv. The attack damaged the cardiology department while patients were undergoing treatment, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported extensive structural damage to the building, noting that more than 1,000 windows were shattered. This incident followed a strike on an aid distribution center the previous day that left at least 31 people dead.
Zelenskyy stated that Russia deployed 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles during the overnight assault. He identified electricity generation facilities and substations as primary targets across nine regions, including Odesa, Cherkasy, and Dnipro.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its forces targeted power sites in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv because they supplied electricity to Ukrainian armed forces and military factories. Governor Vitalii Bunechko of Zhytomyr said more than 180,000 residents remained without power on Tuesday morning. Scheduled outages were also introduced in Odesa.
Ukraine retaliated with a drone strike on an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl. Regional Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said the attack started a fire and injured two employees.
These strikes coincide with intensified diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced that officials from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine will meet in Abu Dhabi next week. The agenda includes post-war security arrangements and humanitarian work. US negotiators also plan to discuss security guarantees and reconstruction economics with European partners in Brussels this week.
The timing of the strikes has drawn attention to Tuesday’s US midterm elections. Reporter Audrey MacAlpine noted that the elections are consequential for Ukraine because no major military aid packages have been approved since the Trump administration took office. This contrasts with the $60 billion in aid provided during the early years of the war under the Biden administration. Europe has largely covered the financial gap while Zelenskyy seeks to restore US support.
Source: Al Jazeera
