At least two people were killed and 33 injured this Saturday in a Russian strike on a construction products hypermarket in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city. According to the Ukrainian president, “ more than 200 people » were inside the premises. A violent fire broke out.
4 mins
According to regional governor Oleg Synegubov, the Russian attack was carried out using two guided aerial bombs. “ Two people were killed. These were men who worked in the hypermarket “, he said in a video on Telegram. “ The number of injured rose to 33 people “, did he declare.
Images posted on Ukrainian social networks showed the building, from which a huge column of black smoke was escaping. According to the authorities, between 10,000 and 15,000 m2 are on fire and firefighters are working to control the sparked fire. The Epitsentr hypermarket chain sells household appliances and DIY products.
“ Russia dealt another brutal blow to our city of Kharkiv – a construction hypermarket – Saturday, in the middle of the day », denounced President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram. “ At present, it is known that more than 200 people may have been inside the hypermarket. All services are already on site to help rescue people and extinguish the fire “, he added.
“ A large number of people are missing. There are many injured », For his part indicated Igor Terekhov, the mayor of the city in the north-east of Ukraine. According to him, 15 employees of the store did not give any sign of life and some 200 people were in the building at the time of the attack.
Oleksander is a rescuer and was one of the first to reach the scene. He tells our special correspondents in Kharkiv, Bertrand Haekler And Nathanaël Vittrant to be “ precipitate » to help the emergency services: “ When I heard that the mall had been hit, I rushed. We arrived a little after the firefighters. I tried to go in to get the victims out, but the building was on fire and there was too much smoke, it was impossible. I was reassured by telling me that the center was closed. But now I hear that the stores were open and there were lots of people inside. I am very afraid of the number of victims. »
According to Oleksander, “ the missile hit the paint department, there are a lot of chemicals inside that could explode, and then you see, there are gas stations nearby ». “ The Russians could also send a new missile to the same location: that makes our job very complicated. We are there, making our way through the rubble, very close to a victim. And we receive an alert about a possible second strike which forces us to withdraw. It’s wasted time that costs lives. »
Read alsoNearly a million Ukrainians ready to mobilize after the promulgation of the new law
“ Give us air defense, save people »
Volodymyr Zelensky once again called on Ukraine’s Western allies to provide more air defense systems to his country. “ If Ukraine had enough air defense systems and modern combat aircraft, such Russian strikes would have been impossiblepleaded the president. Every day we appeal to the world: give us air defense, save people “.
With 1.5 million inhabitants before the war and located near the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine, the city of Kharkiv is regularly targeted by Moscow’s forces, who also launched a land offensive in the region on May 10. This offensive allowed them to seize several localities and force kyiv to send reinforcements to the sector. Ukraine, however, assured Friday that this assault had been “ stopped “.
Strikes and attacks in the region near Kharkiv
Russian forces also launched several attacks in the region on Saturday. They bombed the village of Kupiansk-Vouzlovyi, a railway junction from the Kharkiv region near the border, injuring five people, the regional prosecutor’s office announced in a statement. According to the same source, two civilian vehicles, including an ambulance, were targeted by gunfire.
In the same region, Russia bombed the Kupiansk district, southeast of Kharkiv, damaging a factory and residential buildings, according to the prosecutor’s office. Some residents of Kupiansk and its surroundings had to leave the area and go to a refugee center in Kharkiv. This is the case of Zoya, a 59-year-old teacher, whose village is located less than 40 kilometers from the Russian border, who testified to RFI.
We are so well received here, we were given food and drink. A woman who arrived at the same time as us suffered a concussion from a shell: doctors and psychologists are already at her bedside. We are very grateful for the help we receive. Red Cross volunteers came to pick us up yesterday to take us here. The children are young, we had to leave. My husband died, so my niece and I took all the children and brought them back here. At home, there is a battle going on, it’s scary, it’s so scary. It was necessary to keep women and children away from the fighting. Tell them in France to help us end this war as quickly as possible!
A resident of the Kupiansk area testifies from a refugee center in Kharkiv
Read alsoRussia conducts tactical nuclear weapons exercises near Ukraine
(And with AFP)