Ukrainian officials said a Russian strike on residential buildings in Kharkiv wounded 19 people, including a baby, as Kyiv and Moscow exchanged accusations following a deadly drone attack in Russian-held Kherson.<\/p>\n
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) –<\/strong> A Russian strike on residential buildings in the major Ukrainian city of Kharkiv wounded at least 19 people, Ukrainian officials said, as images from the scene showed damaged multi-storey buildings, smouldering rubble, and firefighters battling flames amid the debris.<\/p>\n The attack occurred on Friday and came one day after Russia accused Kyiv of carrying out a strike on a hotel and a caf\u00e9 in the village of Khorly, located in Ukraine\u2019s occupied south, which Moscow said killed 28 people and warned would bring \u201cconsequences.\u201d Ukrainian authorities, however, said that strike targeted a military gathering closed to civilians.<\/p>\n Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov said in a statement posted on Telegram after the strike that \u201ca total of 19 people suffered blast injuries, glass wounds, and abrasions,\u201d adding that a six-month-old baby was among those wounded.<\/p>\n AFP images from the site showed significant destruction, with piles of smouldering rubble surrounding damaged residential blocks as emergency crews worked to contain the blaze.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as \u201cheinous,\u201d saying on social media that \u201cpreliminary reports indicate two missiles struck an ordinary residential area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, this is how the Russians treat life and people \u2014 they continue killing, despite all efforts by the world, and especially by the United States, in the diplomatic process,\u201d Zelensky added.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s defence ministry rejected Ukraine\u2019s claims, saying its forces \u201cdid not plan or carry out strikes using missiles or air strikes within the city limits of Kharkiv.\u201d The ministry accused Ukraine of attempting \u201cto distract international attention from the brutal terrorist attack against civilians\u201d in Khorly.<\/p>\n The war, which began with Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has killed tens of thousands of people, devastated eastern Ukraine, and forced millions to flee their homes.<\/p>\n