By Volodymyr Pavlov
PECHENIHY, Aug 18 (Reuters) – A Russian missile attack killed 10 people on Tuesday in a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, adding that Kyiv would respond.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attack, which also injured at least 18 people, according to the regional governor.
“This morning the Russians launched a brutal attack on a busy intersection in Pechenihy, Kharkiv region – a location with a post office and stores, surrounded only by residential buildings,” Zelenskiy said on X.
“We will definitely respond to this Russian strike,” he added.
Reuters video from Pechenihy showed several covered bodies lying on the ground, burnt-out cars and damaged buildings.
Russia has intensified its air attacks on Ukraine over the summer, trying to exploit its smaller neighbour’s critical shortage of interceptors to down ballistic missiles.
The United Nations said last week that civilian casualties from the war in Ukraine had risen by nearly a third month-on-month in July.
The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said on X it was gathering information about the attack in Pechenihy and its impact on civilians.
Ukraine has also increased its attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to try to undermine Moscow’s ability to wage war. On Tuesday, Moscow’s mayor said Ukraine had launched 620 drones at the Russian capital and surrounding areas, in one of Kyiv’s biggest air assaults on the region.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians in their attacks.
The strike on Pechenihy village injured at least 18 people and damaged 10 private buildings, a cafe, a post office, five stores and 15 cars, the governor of the surrounding region, Oleh Syniehubov, said on the Telegram messaging app.
According to preliminary information, Russia used two small Banderol cruise missiles in the attack, the office of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General said.
A local official told public broadcaster Suspilne that the strikes had hit the central part of the village, where the cafe, post office and shops are located.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka in GdanskEditing by Daniel Flynn and Gareth Jones)
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