According to Ukrainian officials, a Russian missile strike in the northeastern Kharkiv region on Tuesday injured at least 38 people, including 12 children. In the meantime, Kyiv has reported a successful few days for the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated on Tuesday that 185,000 new recruits have joined the Russian army as professional contract soldiers since the beginning of the year. Ukrainian officials confirmed that the Russian missile strike occurred in Pervomaiskyi, resulting in injuries to 38 people. The strike, using an Iskander missile, occurred at 1:35 pm local time, according to the regional governor.
The youngest child injured in the attack was reported to be three months old, but their condition is not immediately known. The missile strike followed Russian shelling earlier on Tuesday that killed a man and a woman in Kherson, Ukraine, according to local prosecutors.
Television footage showed a residential building in Pervomaiskyi with smashed windows and black smoke pouring out. Damaged cars and flames were also visible nearby, and a man with blood on his face was seen sitting in an ambulance, as reported by Reuters.
A local resident named Alla, as reported by Reuters, said, “I only remember that when the explosion sounded, we were thrown up into the air… I just can’t get a grip of myself, my legs are still shaking.”
Major Maksym Zhorin, the former commander of the Azov battalion, which is now part of the Ukrainian army, stated that the Russian strike targeted a military funeral for soldier Oleh Fadeenko, who was killed in combat near Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s Secretary of National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, posted on Twitter, stating that Ukraine’s defense forces are focused on maximum destruction of the Russian army’s manpower, equipment, and command posts. He mentioned that the last few days have been productive but did not provide further details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the past week as “difficult” while noting that progress has been made by the troops. Ukrainian military spokesperson Andriy Kovalev reported that Ukrainian forces are pressuring Russian soldiers north and south of Bakhmut with partial success. Ukrainian forces also managed to repel a Russian advance in the eastern regions of Lyman, Avdiivka, and Marinka.
According to Medvedev, citing data from the Russian defense ministry, over 185,000 people were accepted into the military between January 1 and July 4. He mentioned that about 109,000 of them are in the reserve, along with other categories of citizens serving under contract.
These developments come amid reports of heavy losses for Russia in Ukraine, although Moscow has not acknowledged them. Medvedev’s claims were made in a video posted on Telegram, which also stated that almost 10,000 new recruits had joined since the Wagner mutiny.
Medvedev stated that the attempted armed rebellion did not affect citizens’ willingness to serve under contract for what Russia refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
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