A British citizen was left injured as Russia unleashed its fury on a number of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure overnight.
A UK national, reportedly a journalist, was wounded in a missile strike that hit a five-star hotel in the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Pictures from the scene taken in the aftermath of the attack show the massive hole left on the facade of the Kharkiv Palace Hotel by one of the several missiles launched at the city by Russia.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov believes at least five more missiles were launched on his city during the night between December 30 and 31.
Updating Ukrainians on the attack, he defiantly wrote on the messaging platform Telegram: “On the eve of the New Year, the Russians want to intimidate our city, but we are not scared – we are unbreakable and invincible.”
As Kharkiv was pummeled by missiles, at least 20 people remained injured – including two children aged 14 and 16.
Oleh Syniehubov, governor of the region, reported Russia hit “solely civilian infrastructure” overnight. International humanitarian law, criminal law and human rights law bar the widespread destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure during wartime.
Alongside the five-star hotel, believed to be housing some foreign journalists reporting on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, were also targeted residential buildings and a social assistance office.
The pounding of Kharkiv in the hours leading into New Year’s Eve came the day after Kyiv reportedly launched its deadliest strike so far on Russian territory.
Russian officials claimed the several explosions that hit the centre of the border city of Belgorod killed 21 people, including three children, and injured 110 more.
While Kyiv didn’t officially acknowledge launching any strike on the Russian territory, a Ukrainian security source placed the blame for these casualties on the “incompetent work of Russian air defence”, suggesting to the BBC that debris from failed Russian interceptors had fallen on the city. Express.co.uk could not independently verify the claims made by Kyiv and Moscow.
After the attack on Belgorod, the Kremlin has sworn retaliation, with the Russian Defence Ministry saying: “This crime will not go unpunished”.
Hours prior, Russia had carried out a relentless 18-hour aerial attack across Ukraine, killing 41 civilians.
Thomas Phipps, Britain’s envoy to the United Nations, noted the war began after the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia, as he said: “If Russia wants someone to blame for the deaths of Russians in this war, it should start with President Putin.”
