A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in the village of Pechenihy, in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv would respond, Reuters reported. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attack, which also injured at least 18 people, according to the regional governor.
"This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region, a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings," Zelenskyy said on X. "We will definitely respond to this Russian strike," he added. Reuters footage from the scene showed several covered bodies on the ground, burnt-out cars and damaged buildings.
The attack comes as Russia has intensified its air attacks on Ukraine over the summer, seeking to exploit Ukraine's critical shortage of interceptors capable of downing ballistic missiles, according to Reuters. The United Nations said last week that civilian casualties in Ukraine rose by nearly a third month-on-month in July. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said on X it was gathering information about the Pechenihy attack and its impact on civilians.
Both sides intensify attacks
Ukraine has also escalated its own attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure in an effort to undermine Moscow's ability to sustain the war. On Tuesday, Moscow's mayor said Ukraine had launched 620 drones at the Russian capital and surrounding areas, in one of Kyiv's largest air assaults on the region. Russia and Ukraine both deny deliberately targeting civilians in their attacks.
According to the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, the strike on Pechenihy injured at least 18 people and damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, five stores and 15 cars. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles in the attack, according to preliminary information. A local official told the public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located.
Source: Reuters
