Kharkiv death toll rises to five
Kharkiv’s regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov has said the death toll from the Russian strike on the Nemyshlyansky district of the city has risen to five, with at least 40 wounded.
In a post on Telegram, he said five locations in the city were hit in a Russian strike originating from the Belgorod region.
Key events
Closing summary
Here’s a recap of the main developments:
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Five people were killed, including a 14-year-old girl, in a Russian strike on Kharkiv, according to its regional governor. At least 40 were wounded in the attack, Oleh Syniehubov said.
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At least three were killed by a strike on a high-rise building in a separate attack on another area of the city, Syniehubov said. Posting on Telegram, he said there were a total of five strikes on the city.
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Ukraine called on Mongolia to arrest Vladimir Putin when he visits the country next. The Russian leader is due to travel to Mongolia, a member of the international criminal court (ICC), on Tuesday – his first trip to an ICC member state since the court issued a warrant for his arrest over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
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Russia’s military has said its forces had captured three villages in eastern Ukraine, where it is advancing even as Kyiv mounts its own assault on Russian territory. In a briefing published on its Telegram page, Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized settlements in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.
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Ukraine’s top commander said Kyiv’s forces had advanced about a mile in its incursion of Russia’s western Kursk region in the past 24 hours. Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces took control of 2 sq miles of Russian territory.
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A group of Russian armed volunteers is being set up in Kursk to “ensure security”. Kursk’s governor, Alexy Smirnov, said on Telegram that the new detachments would be tasked with “not only ensuring security, but also participating in life support in resettled areas in order to support the remaining people in this difficult time”.
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The commander of Ukraine’s air force said that it had shared with US partners a preliminary report about an F-16 jet crash that took place earlier this week. Mykola Oleshchuk said that the US, where the F-16 is manufactured, was assisting the investigation.
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that ongoing corruption investigations into Russian defence officials involve “serious charges” that will lead to court trials, Reuters reports. A military court in Moscow placed Pavel Popov, a former deputy defence minister, in detention yesterday on suspicion of fraud in the latest of a string of corruption probes of officials tied to former defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget A Brink, has called for Russia to be held accountable for “war crimes” after a guided bomb attack on Kharkiv.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Kharkiv as rescue operations are underway,” she added.
This afternoon, Russia struck an apartment building in Kharkiv with a guided aerial bomb, killing several and injuring many, including children. Our thoughts are with the people of Kharkiv as rescue operations are underway.
Russia must be held accountable for these war crimes. pic.twitter.com/Osn7HNr3fc
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) August 30, 2024
Ukraine says it has gained more Russian territory
Ukraine’s armed forces commander said his troops had advanced up to 2km (1.2 miles) in Russia’s Kursk region in the past day, gaining 5 sq km of Russian territory in the past 24 hours.
Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, briefing Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Russian troops had also failed in their latest bid to pierce Ukrainian defences in the Pokrovsk area of eastern Ukraine, Reuters reported. Ukraine’s general staff put the number of assaults in the Pokrovsk direction on Thursday at 58, and at 36 as of Friday.
Ukraine has said that its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is designed to protect its border settlements from constant Russian strikes. Russia has called the incursion a “major provocation” and warned that it will retaliate.
Russia’s defence ministry said earlier today that its troops had captured three settlements in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has accused Russian forces of carrying out a “deliberately, carefully thought out” attack on Kharkiv.
The Russian guided bomb strike had a “specific intent” – “to test the world to see how long it is prepared to look blankly at unconditional and premeditated war crimes against civilians”, Podolyak posted to X accompanied by a video purporting to show the aftermath of the attack.
Once again and again. #Russia never tires of demonstrating as openly as possible the genocidal type of war it is waging in #Ukraine… This time a deliberate strike on the center of #Kharkiv, on a multi-story building, with a guided aerial bomb. Deliberately, carefully thought… pic.twitter.com/z6hOzR2oua
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 30, 2024
As we reported earlier, the death toll of Friday’s bomb attack has risen to five, with 40 people injured, according to the regional governor.
Afternoon summary
It’s nearly 6pm in Moscow and Kyiv. Here’s a round-up of what has happened today:
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Five people were killed, including a 14-year-old girl, in a Russian strike on Kharkiv. At least 40 were wounded in the attack, Kharkiv’s regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov said.
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In a separate attack on another area of the city, at least three were killed by a strike on a high-rise building. Syniehubov said on Telegram that there were a total of five strikes on the city – this is a developing story and we will bring you further updates this evening as we get them.
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Ukraine called on Mongolia to arrest Russian president Vladimir Putin when he visits the country next, which is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that has issued a warrant for the Russian leader, next week. “The Ukrainian side hopes that the government of Mongolia is aware of the fact that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal,” the foreign ministry said, adding “we call on the Mongolian authorities to execute the binding international arrest warrant.”
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Russia’s military has said its forces had captured three villages in eastern Ukraine, where it is advancing even as Kyiv mounts its own assault on Russian territory. In a briefing published on its Telegram page, Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized settlements in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.
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Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi said Kyiv’s forces had advanced about a mile in its incursion of Russia’s western Kursk region in the past 24 hours. Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces took control of 2 sq miles of Russian territory.
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A group of Russian armed volunteers is being set up in Kursk to “ensure security”. Kursk governor, Alexy Smirnov said on Telegram that the new detachments would be tasked with “not only ensuring security, but also participating in life support in resettled areas in order to support the remaining people in this difficult time.”
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The commander of Ukraine’s air force said that it had shared with US partners a preliminary report about an F-16 jet crash that took place earlier this week. Mykola Oleshchuk said that the US, where the F-16 is manufactured, was assisting the investigation.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that ongoing corruption investigations into Russian defence officials involve “serious charges” that will lead to court trials, Reuters reports. A military court in Moscow placed Pavel Popov, a former deputy defence minister, in detention yesterday on suspicion of fraud in the latest of a string of corruption probes of officials tied to former defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
Kharkiv death toll rises to five
Kharkiv’s regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov has said the death toll from the Russian strike on the Nemyshlyansky district of the city has risen to five, with at least 40 wounded.
In a post on Telegram, he said five locations in the city were hit in a Russian strike originating from the Belgorod region.
There was some confusion earlier over the attacks on Kharkiv as there were two attacks in quick succession on different areas of the city, each resulting in fatalities.
Kharkiv mayor, Igor Terekhov said an attack on the Nemyshlyansky district killed four, including a girl at a playground, AFP reports.
He also said at least another three people were killed by a hit on a high-rise building in the city’s Industrialny district.
The Ukraine president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak has shared a video on X purporting to show the aftermath of the Kharkiv attack. The video shows a tower block with flames and smoke pouring out of the upper floors, along with a car on fire in the car park underneath.
The video matches photos taken by a Reuters photojournalist of the scene of the attack.
Some further quotes from president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the wake of the Russian attack that killed four, including a 14-year-old girl, and injured at least 28 others in Kharkiv earlier today.
The Russian strike on Kharkiv was “directly on people, on ordinary houses,” he posted on X, along with a video purporting to show the aftermath of the strike.
“All services are currently engaged in the rescue operation. I thank everyone who is helping to save lives at this moment.
“This strike was carried out using a Russian guided aerial bomb – a strike that could have been prevented if our Defense Forces had the capability to destroy Russian military aircraft at their bases.
“We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror. This is an absolutely legitimate need. There is no rational reason to limit Ukraine’s defense. We need long-range capabilities and the full implementation of air defense agreements for Ukraine. These are life-saving measures.”
The Russian strike on Kharkiv directly on people, on ordinary house. All services are currently engaged in the rescue operation. I thank everyone who is helping to save lives at this moment.
This strike was carried out using a Russian guided aerial bomb—a strike that could have… pic.twitter.com/ydRfqPju6n
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 30, 2024
Reuters provides further detail about the Russian attack on Kharkiv:
A Russian guided bomb attack on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv hit a residential building and a playground, killing four people, including a child, and injuring at least 28 more, local authorities said.
“Occupiers killed a child right on the playground,” Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
Three other people were killed in a 12-storey apartment block that caught fire as a result of the strike, he added.
A video from the site shared by the president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak showed huge flames and heavy black smoke rising from the upper floors of the building.
“Russians hit civilians again,” Yermak said on Telegram.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and the surrounding region have long been targeted by Russian attacks, in particular, by highly destructive guided bombs.
Ukraine has called on Mongolia to arrest Russian president Vladimir Putin when he visits the country, which is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that has issued a warrant for the Russian leader, next week.
“The Ukrainian side hopes that the government of Mongolia is aware of the fact that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal,” the foreign ministry said, adding “we call on the Mongolian authorities to execute the binding international arrest warrant.”
Zelenskiy renews calls to use long-range weapons after Kharkiv deaths
Reuters now reporting that the death toll from Russia’s attack on Kharkiv is four, including a young girl killed in a strike on a playground.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy renewed a call on western allies to allow long-range attacks on Russian military air bases following the attack.
“The strike … would not have happened if our defence forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are based,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Russian air attack kills child and two others after hitting playground in Kharkiv – mayor says
A Russian bomb has hit a playground in Kharkiv, killing at least one child and two other people, according to Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov, Reuters reports.
Terekhov said on Telegram that a young girl and two others were killed when the playground was hit in the Nemyshlian neighbourhood.
The Guardian could not independently verify these reports.