The key facts

  • In Kharkiv, three people died and 11 were injured; a four-story building's entrance was completely destroyed.
  • In Kyiv, two people died and 11 were injured; a drone hit a 25-story building in the Darnytskyi district.
  • The Ukrainian Air Force failed to issue an early warning due to untimely data on missile launches from Russia.

Strikes on Kharkiv

According to DW, on the night of October 13, Russia again launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine. Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that three people died in the city and 11 others were injured. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the strikes targeted residential areas in the Kholodnohirskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts of Kharkiv and civilian infrastructure objects. One of the missiles hit a four-story building, completely destroying one of its entrances. Rescue operations are ongoing as people may be trapped under the rubble.

Attack on Kyiv

On the evening of October 12, Russian forces attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that in the Darnytskyi district, a drone struck a 25-story building between the 12th and 16th floors. As a result of the attack, two people died and 11 others were injured. According to the Kyiv city prosecutor's office, the deceased were a 59-year-old woman and another person who was in a car near the damaged high-rise building. Kyiv was also hit by a follow-up strike with ballistic missiles.

Warning Issues

The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that it was unable to declare an air attack threat in advance because data on missile launches from Russian territory arrived untimely. According to the military, ballistic targets were detected by radar directly at the moment of the attack on Kyiv. The reasons for the incident are being investigated.