Russian guided aerial bombs struck residential and industrial locations in Kharkiv on Monday, killing five people in an afternoon attack and injuring 59, according to the latest figures attributed to city authorities.
A separate overnight drone attack killed another resident, bringing the number of people reported killed across Kharkiv during October 5 to six, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in an update carried by Interfax-Ukraine.
The afternoon bombardment involved three guided aerial bombs and hit several locations in the city’s Slobidskyi district, according to the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration. One impact was recorded near a multi-storey residential building, while industrial premises and a sewing workshop were also affected.
Emergency crews recovered two of the victims from beneath the wreckage of the workshop. Earlier victims included two men aged 62 and 35, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
The casualty count rose repeatedly as rescue workers searched damaged buildings and more residents sought medical assistance. Regional authorities initially reported 53 injured people, including three children. The children were described as an 11-year-old girl in serious condition, a 15-year-old boy in moderate condition and a 15-year-old girl experiencing an acute stress reaction.
Reuters reported that 30 injured people were receiving hospital treatment and that three were in serious condition at that stage of the response.
The attack damaged dozens of residential buildings, a civilian enterprise and at least 20 vehicles. Regional officials estimated that fires covered a combined area approaching 15,000 square metres.
Photographs released by the regional administration showed emergency personnel working across the shattered remains of buildings as smoke continued to rise from the sites.
More than 100 emergency workers and over 60 pieces of equipment were deployed. Medical teams, police officers, municipal workers and volunteer organisations were also involved in the operation.
Authorities said police were conducting house-to-house and apartment checks to locate anyone requiring assistance. Support points were opened for residents needing food, humanitarian supplies or temporary accommodation, while workers began covering broken window openings.
Preliminary inspections had not identified structural failure in the affected residential blocks, Syniehubov said, although searches and damage assessments remained in progress.
Kharkiv lies approximately 30 kilometres from the Russian border and has experienced sustained bombardment throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its size, industrial importance and proximity to the frontier have made it one of the country’s most frequently attacked major cities.
The latest casualty figures remain subject to revision while rescuers search the affected locations. Ukrainian authorities attributed the bombing to Russian forces; the reports reviewed by Universaladage contained no Russian response addressing this particular attack.
