Russia denies responsibility for Kharkiv missile strike that killed 4 and injured 32

A Russian Iskander missile struck an apartment building in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv on Friday, killing four people and injuring at least another 32, according to the Ukrainian National Police.

One of the dead was a three-year-old child, while a six-month-old baby was among the injured, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, adding that rescue workers were continuing their search for further victims of the attack who could be trapped under the rubble.

The authorities reported that two Iskander ballistic missiles hit an apartment building, leaving it almost completely destroyed. A shopping centre was also razed to the ground, while other nearby apartment buildings and a hospital were also significantly damaged.

“Unfortunately, this is how Russians treat life and people,” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “They continue to kill, despite all the efforts of the whole world and, above all, those of the United States in this diplomatic process. Russia is the only one who doesn’t want this war to end and is doing everything on a daily basis to ensure that it continues.”

Russia’s Defence Ministry has denied reports of an attack, suggesting the blast was caused by Ukrainian ammunition detonating. This comes after Ukraine denied responsibility for a drone strike that reportedly killed 27 in the occupied part of its Kherson region on Thursday.