Russia-Ukraine war: Dozens killed in Kharkiv rocket attacks, reports Ukrainian officials
The reported strikes come as talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began at the Belarus border.
FollowDozens of people were killed in rocket strikes by Russian forces on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday morning, Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said. “Kharkiv has just been massively fired upon by grads (rockets). Dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded,” he said in a post on Facebook, news agency Reuters reported.
Anton Herashchenko’s remarks came in a Facebook post on Monday, hours after blasts were reported in Kharkiv by Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection in a brief statement on the Telegram messaging app.
The reported strikes come as talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began at the Belarus border.
Earlier the Ukrainian president’s office said Ukraine’s goal for the talks was an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.
Ukraine agreed to the talks around the same time as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered defence chiefs to put nuclear “deterrence forces” on high alert.
The UN human rights chief said Monday at least 102 civilians, including seven children, had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded five days ago, warning true numbers could be far higher.
Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachelet said her office had recorded 406 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including 102 deaths, since Russia began its full-scale attack last Thursday, reported AFP.
She, however, added that the real figure may well be “considerably higher”.
