A crater appears after a Russian missile struck a building at a resort in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on May 19, 2024.
Valentin Ogilenko | Reuters
On Sunday, Russia attacked a busy lakeside resort on the edge of Ukraine’s second-largest city and also attacked surrounding villages, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens more.
The missile attack was the latest in a string of Russian attacks in recent weeks on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian troops have launched an offensive.
Valentyna, 69, was left bleeding from the face at the lakeside resort where her home was destroyed and a nearby busy restaurant was flattened. Her husband drowned, she said, pointing to an area near the coast that now contains a crater, rubble and bodies.
“It hurts to lose my husband, to lose my house, to lose everything in the world, it hurts, I’m in pain,” she cried through tears. “They (Russians) are animals, why do they need to kill people?”
Prosecutors said six people died there, one was missing and 27 were injured. Rescuers said the first attack was followed by a second attack about 20 minutes later, targeting first responders at the scene in a so-called “double tap.”
“There were never any soldiers here,” said police inspector Yaroslav Trofimko, who arrived after the first attack and was later involved in the second. “It was Sunday, people should be resting here, children should be here, pregnant women should be resting here and enjoying a normal lifestyle.”
Later that day, five more people were killed and nine injured in two villages in the Kupyansk region. Local governor Oleh Syniehubov said Russian forces shelled two villages in the area with self-propelled multiple rocket launchers.
President Zelensky once again called on Western allies to provide Kiev with additional air defense systems to protect Kharkiv and other cities.
“The world can stop Russia’s terrorist activities, but to do this the lack of political will among leaders must be overcome,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
“The two Patriots in Kharkiv will make a fundamental difference,” he said of the Patriot missile defense system. The president added that air defense systems in other cities and adequate support for frontline soldiers would ensure Russia’s fail
