The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskysaid this Saturday that more than 200 people could have been inside a construction materials hypermarket attacked by Russia in the northeastern city of Kharkov.
“So far, we know that more than 200 people could have been inside the hypermarket“Zelensky said after officials reported that at least two people died by two guided bomb attacks that caused a massive fire.
“Russia launched another brutal attack against our Kharkovagainst a construction hypermarket, on Saturday, in broad daylight,” the president said in his X account. And he continued: “So far, It is believed that more than 200 people were in the hypermarket. All emergency services are already on site providing assistance, rescuing people and extinguishing the fire that has completely consumed the 10,000 square meter building. There are dead and wounded.”
In the same post, he stated: “If Ukraine had enough air defense systems and modern fighter jets, Russian attacks like this would be impossible. And that is why we call on all leaders, all States: we need a significant improvement in air defense and sufficient capabilities to destroy Russian terrorists”.
“This is a task that must be accomplished and can only be accomplished together with the world. Every day we ask the world to provide us with air defense and save our people. Every decision not made to support us results in the loss of our people,” he concluded.
For his part, the mayor of the city, Igor Terejovindicated: “We know for sure that there are two dead”. He also noted “a large number of missing” and “many injured”. “This is pure terrorism”he added.
The governor of the region of Kharkov, Oleg Sinegubovsaid “two Russian guided bombs hit a construction hypermarket“, causing “a fire in more than 15,0000 square meters”.
In videos published by witnesses on social networks, a huge column of black smoke that comes out of the store Epitsentrin a department store area next to a vehicle parking lot. This hypermarket chain sells household and DIY items.
Kharkov, Ukraine’s second largest city, suffers from periodic Russian bombing. On Thursday, those attacks killed seven people, according to local authorities.
On May 10, Russia launched a ground offensive in the region of Kharkovwhich Ukraine claimed on Friday managed to be stopped.
In more than two years of war, Russia conquered some eastern portions of the former Soviet republic.
The United States disbursed a new package of USD 275 million in weapons so that Ukraine can confront the Russian invasion, the Secretary of State announced this Friday, Anthony Blinken.
“This $275 million package is part of our efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia’s assault near Kharkiv“said the State Department in a statement.
The package includes ammunition for the HIMARS rocket launcher system, Javelin anti-tank systems, artillery shells, TOW guided missilesshort weapons, grenades, tactical vehicles and bulletproof vests, among other elements of weapons that Ukraine “urgently needs,” according to the statement from Washington.
This item is part of the USD 61 billion budget for Ukraine that the US Congress approved last April after Republicans lifted the blockade they had established for months against Ukrainian aid.
Blinken explained in a statement that, since then, the United States has already sent four packages of weapons to the trenches in Ukraine and promised that it will do everything possible to ensure that this fifth package arrive “as quickly as possible so that the Ukrainian army can use it to defend its territory and protect its Ukrainian people.” And he added that “help from previous batches has already reached the front.”
(With information from agencies)
