The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was hit by a Russian drone assault lasting approximately two hours, during which witnesses reported about 20 blasts throughout the city.
According to the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, fires broke out in four districts with one of the largest at the Barabashovo market, the fourth time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion it has caught fire.
Authorities state that 90 stores at the marketplace were razed.
On the west side of the city, a high-rise apartment complex suffered damage. One resident reported that the drone attacks occurred in multiple stages.
“Shortly before 4:20 am, the initial blast occurred, followed by continuous explosions occurring back-to-back. Once we reached the tenth explosion, we ceased keeping track,” stated Nataliia Mishukova.
The wind tore my front door away, along with the balcony and window. My vehicle also sustained damage.
Four drones also hit a hotel and restaurant complex in the northern part of the city; Oleh Syniehubov, who leads the regional military administration, mentioned that four individuals experienced severe psychological distress due to this incident.
Attacks on Sumy
In the meantime, inhabitants of Bilopillia within the adjacent Sumy region commenced their evacuation process early Tuesday due to escalated Russian assaults.
Local authorities, including Mayor Yurii Zarko, reported that the security situation in the city has worsened in recent days, prompting renewed calls for evacuation.
“Even those who didn’t want to leave earlier, or who left and then returned – those who still have a place to return to – they see that the situation is getting worse, so they’re evacuating again,” Zarko said.
“Most people who have their own transport have already left on their own. But for those who don’t have a way to leave – especially now with the bridges destroyed and no public transport – they’re relying entirely on the current situation. And since the situation keeps getting worse, people are making the decision to leave in order to stay safe.”
Many residents, including the elderly and those with limited mobility, left with the help of emergency services and Ukrainian Red Cross teams.
Volodymyr Moscalenko, who leads the rapid response team for the Ukrainian Red Cross, mentioned that they utilized two ambulances to transport individuals with reduced mobility.
“We’ll transport them and send them straight to Sumy. The vehicle with better off-road capabilities will handle areas where the roads are severely damaged and accessibility is tough; we’ll also collect individuals from those locations,” he explained.
Mandatory evacuation for children
Over the last three days, more than 30 children have been relocated from the village of Shakhove in the Donetsk area, as reported by the regional military administrator Serhiy Sazhko.
On May 2nd, officials declared a compulsory evacuation for households with children in both Shakhove and Toretske because of continuous Russian bombardment.
“We have previously conducted a compulsory evacuation from two administrative regions; however, back then, the security conditions were far more favorable. Now individuals can observe the circumstances firsthand,” Sazhko clarified.
“There were 54 children in Shakhove; as of now, 23 remain. I think in two or three days we will have evacuated all the children from here. There are 22 children in Toretske, which is a bit farther. We need to evacuate all children from Shakhove first, and then we’ll move on to evacuating Toretske.”
Families are being transported to safety in Voloshyne in the Zhytomyr region where they will be hosted by volunteers.
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