Rescue workers have recovered another body from the rubble of a residential building damaged by Russian strikes in Kharkiv, bringing the death toll to five people, including two children.

According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, there are already four dead, including one child.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov later confirmed the fifth casualty, including a 1.5-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy.

The number of injured has reached 20 people as of 9:30 am, with six children among the casualties, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Rescue teams have saved two people from the debris, and search operations continue.

About five people are currently considered missing, according to Syniehubov.

Russian forces targeted Kharkiv with Geran-2 type drones, with four unmanned aerial vehicles hitting a five-story residential building. The strike caused structural damage and fires broke out in the building.

Mayor Terekhov said that 18 August has been declared a day of mourning in Kharkiv for the victims of the attack.

The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities. The Ukrainian authorities and international organisations qualify these strikes as war crimes by Russia and emphasise that they are of a targeted nature.

Regional casualties mount across Kharkiv Oblast

The deadly strike on Kharkiv was part of broader attacks across the region that left 34 people injured over the past 24 hours. Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 10 settlements throughout Kharkiv Oblast, according to regional authorities.

In Kupiansk, a 43-year-old man was injured in the attacks. The village of Lisne in the Malodanyliv community saw three casualties: two men aged 49 and 51, and a 48-year-old woman.

Russian forces deployed an extensive arsenal against the region, launching one Iskander-M missile and 33 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types. The attack package included 20 Geran-2 drones, two Lancet drones, two Molnia drones, one FPV drone, and five drones of undetermined type. Russian forces also used two guided aerial bombs in the assault.

Infrastructure damage spreads across multiple districts

The strikes damaged civilian infrastructure across four districts. In Kharkiv city, 19 apartment buildings and 25 vehicles sustained damage from the attacks.

Kupiansk district bore significant damage, with apartment and private buildings hit in Kupiansk city and Pidserednie village. The village of Shevchenkove saw damage to an enterprise and six vehicles, while storage facilities were damaged in Hnylytsya village.

Chuhuiv district reported damage to a warehouse and vehicle in Kochetok village, while a private house was damaged in Horokhovatka village in Izium district.

Ground combat intensifies on two fronts

Ukrainian forces recorded 182 combat clashes across the front over the past 24 hours. On the South Slobozhansk direction, Russian forces launched 13 assault attempts against Ukrainian positions near Vovchansk and toward the settlements of Khatnie and Odradne.

The Kupiansk direction saw 12 Russian attacks throughout the day. Ukrainian defense forces repelled Russian assault actions near Zapadne, Kindrashivka, Petropavlivka, and Stepova Novoselivka, as well as attacks directed toward Kupiansk and Nova Kruhliakivka.

Kharkiv stands in ruins after Russia attacks. Daily strikes have devasted the city and caused over €10 billion in damage to Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov told Report.

According to the city’s head, Russia has been systematically targeting Kharkiv’s civilian infrastructure for over three years. More than 12,000 sites have been destroyed or damaged, and most of them are residential buildings.

“160,000 Kharkiv residents have lost their homes. Explosions every day, destruction every day, and sadly, deaths and injuries,” says Terekhov. 

Thousands of residents are left homeless

The mayor notes that over 9,500 of the destroyed sites are residential buildings, meaning Russian missiles and drones are primarily targeting civilians. Since February 2022, Kharkiv has not seen a single day without shelling.

“Currently, the need for windows exceeds 50,000. Every strike increases this number by another thousand, one and a half, two. The record was more than five thousand in one attack,” the mayor revealed in June.

Reconstruction will require billions

“We are facing massive destruction. The city will need even more funds to rebuild,” Terekhov states, estimating the damage at around €10 billion.

Still, he stressed, “no amount of money can bring back the lives and health lost.”

Terekhov underscored that Kharkiv is under constant attack and that “civilian targets are primarily being hit.”

The scale of destruction and number of victims make it clear: Russia is deliberately devastating Ukraine’s largest city near the border.

Earlier, Russia tested its new modified bomb in an attack on Kharkiv. Children, an infant, and a pregnant woman were among the wounded. A new type of aerial bomb, the UMPB-5, with 250-kg warhead, hit the central part of the city in the first known use of this weapon.

Two airstrikes were launched from over 100 kilometers away. The strikes damaged 20 residential buildings, including 17 apartment blocks in the Shevchenkivskyi and Kholodnohirskyi districts. The blast wave shattered over 600 windows, forming a crater in the street. Seven cars were destroyed by fire, and 18 more were damaged. One industrial facility caught fire, resulting in a large-scale blaze.