Russian drones hit high-rise apartment blocks and private homes early on Thursday in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, killing at least four people, including rescue workers, with a repeat strike at the site of one attack, officials said. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said "The rescue operation is ongoing. I hope that they will be successful." The attack also damaged residential buildings, stores, a medical facility, and cars. "It is dark there, impossible to see. All the windows are broken, everything blown out — nothing is left. It is good that we are alive. Thank God," a local resident said. Meanwhile, in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, "Allies understand the urgency" and appealed for new air defence systems, especially U.S.-made Patriot missiles.
Officials in Ukraine say Russian drones hit high-rise apartment blocks in Kharkiv, killing
at least four people and wounding 12 others.
Ukraine says its military shot down 11 of the 20 drones launched at the country overnight.
Kharkiv's mayor says three of the victims were emergency vehicle drivers.
Residential buildings, stores, a medical facility and vehicles were damaged in the
attack.
Drones also hit a thermal power plant in the region.
When we woke up, everything was gone.
I don't know, it's dark, I can't see anything, the windows, all the windows are blown out,
there is nothing.
At least we are alive and breathing.
Thank God.
Allies understand the urgency and therefore welcome also the announcements I just listed
from several Allies to provide more ammunition and more types of systems to Ukraine.
They also understand the urgency of stepping up when it comes to air defence in particular.
And therefore Allies will now go back and look into their inventories, look into if
there are any ways they can provide more systems, in particular Patriots, but also of course
ensure that the systems which are already there have the ammunition but also the spare
parts so they can all function as they should.
NATO is not party to the conflict and NATO will not be party to the conflict, but NATO
is providing support to Ukraine to help them defend themselves.
We just have to remember again and again what this is.
This is one country, Russia, attacking another, invading another country.
