Russian bombing of Kharkiv hardware store kills 2, injures 33

Russia bombs a hardware superstore in Kharkiv, killing two and injuring 33, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the attack targeted a construction hypermarket, which sold household and DIY goods

Russia bombed a hardware superstore in Kharkiv on Saturday, killing two and injuring 33, in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned as a “vile” attack on civilians.

The strike on the Epitsentr DIY superstore, which sells household and DIY goods, occurred in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. According to Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov, “two Russian guided bombs hit a construction hypermarket,” resulting in the deaths of two men who worked at the store and injuring 33 others.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the gutted building as firefighters battled the blaze, covering an area of 10,000 square meters.

President Zelenskyy expressed his outrage on Telegram, highlighting the civilian nature of the target. “As of now, we know that more than 200 people could have been inside the hypermarket,” Zelenskyy stated. “Only madmen like Putin are capable of killing and terrorizing people in such a vile way.”

The mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, shared that according to the store’s owner, 15 employees had not been accounted for, and around 200 individuals were inside the building during the attack. He condemned the strike as “pure terrorism.”

The city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest, has been under frequent missile attacks from Russia, with a recent strike on Thursday killing at least seven people. This latest assault follows Russia’s ground offensive in the Kharkiv region, which began on May 10. Despite this, Ukraine reported halting Moscow’s advance and launching counterattacks on Friday.

Elsewhere in the Kharkiv region, Russian forces shelled the village of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, a significant railway hub, injuring five people. The regional prosecutor’s office detailed that both a car and an ambulance were hit, wounding a driver, paramedic, and a 64-year-old patient.

Additionally, airstrikes on the Kupiansk district damaged a factory and residential buildings. In the Donetsk region, shelling killed a 40-year-old woman and injured four others, according to regional administration head Vadym Filashkin.

Source: AFP