Russian drones strike dwellings in Ukraine's Kharkiv, injure 17, governor says
(Reuters) -Russian drones struck apartment buildings in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, triggering fires and injuring 17 people, including two children, Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said early on Thursday.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said seven apartment buildings had been damaged in the 1 a.m. strikes. Two buildings sustained direct hits.
Terekhov said one drone hit an apartment building on the 17th floor, another on the second floor.
A photograph posted on line showed the mayor looking at an apartment reduced to rubble after he said a drone had pierced its walls.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Kharkiv, located 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine, has been a frequent target of Russian drones and missiles in the more than three-year-old war.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 minutes ago
- The Star
Netherlands with 40 other OSCE countries ask probe into Russia's POW treatment
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp speaks during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China May 22, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Netherlands and 40 other OSCE member states have formally called for an independent investigation into the alledged torture and mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on social media platform X on Thursday. "By invoking this so-called 'Moscow Mechanism', the Netherlands and partnering countries contribute to truth-finding and accountability for Russian war crimes in Ukraine", he said, without specifing which other countries had joined the request. The OSCE is an organization of 57 countries that includes former Cold War foes the United States and Russia as well as various countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America. (Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by GV De Clercq)
New Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Zelenskyy under pressure as anti-corruption rollback sparks backlash
AT a rare protest in central Kyiv on Wednesday, demonstrators rallied against a law that curbs the power of anti-corruption agencies, warning the fight for Ukraine's democracy was taking place both on the battlefield and at home. The legislation, removing the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies, sparked the first major protests in Ukraine since it began fighting off the Russian invasion over three years ago. "Our struggle takes place on two fronts. Our main enemy is external, but we have an internal battle, too," said protester Viacheslav Bykov. "We don't want Ukraine to be part of Russia, we don't want a corrupt or authoritarian Ukraine. We want a free Ukraine." Several thousand demonstrators — mostly young — called for a veto to the law passed by Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday. The law places the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the authority of the prosecutor-general, who is appointed by the president. Critics say the legislation would facilitate presidential interference in corruption probes and threatens the independence of key institutions in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the backlash on Wednesday evening, saying he would submit a new bill ensuring "all norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place". Kyiv's partners had reacted with alarm, including European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, who the European Union (EU) said demanded explanations from Zelenskyy over the change. Civil society groups warn the bill is part of a broader pattern of pressure on anti-corruption activists and bodies. Some European allies worry the moves will undermine anti-corruption reforms key to Ukraine's bid to join the EU — a fear shared by many of the protesters. "We've worked for years to move closer to Europe... only to be thrown back 10 years in a single day," said protester Anya Kutsevol. Ukraine's two anti-corruption bodies, NABU and SAPO, were born a decade ago in the wake of the 2014 Maidan revolution. Those pro-European protests, centred on Kyiv's main square, also called Maidan, ousted a Kremlin-backed leader who scrapped a key partnership agreement with the EU. The Kremlin, which refused to accept Ukraine's democratic turn towards Europe, then launched a first assault over Ukraine that led Moscow-backed separatists to occupy Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region. "Ukraine is Europe," said Kutsevol. "We won't be returned to Russia. We will keep fighting for Europe." Some fear that a political crisis over the legislation could work in Russia's favour by undermining unity within the country, which is struggling to hold the front. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov seized on the opportunity to say there was "a lot of corruption" in Ukraine. "If I were Russia, I would do the same," said another protester, Yevgen Popovychenko, convinced that Moscow would try to exploit the protests. He was holding a banner that read: "Don't take me back" to the years of Maidan, where he took to the streets as a 21-year-old. As he stood in the crowd, he said he was having flashbacks from Maidan, a feeling shared by his friends. But many other protesters were only children during the famed 2014 demonstrations — including 25-year-old Kutsevol. "When tyres were still burning, I was 14. What good was I?" she said. Wednesday's was her first political protest, and she teared up looking at people gathered around her for the second day in a row, despite martial law banning large gatherings. She vowed to keep defending Ukraine's democracy. "We're adults now. Now it's our turn."
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Cycling-Ineos-Grenadiers says soigneur has left Tour amid 2012 doping questioning
COURCHEVEL, France (Reuters) -A team soigneur, or carer, for Ineos Grenadiers has left the Tour de France after being asked to speak to the International Testing Agency (ITA) over allegations relating to the 2012 season, the British team said on Thursday. "Following recent media allegations, David (Rozman) has now received a request from the ITA to attend an interview. Accordingly, he has stepped back from race duties and has left the Tour," Ineos Grenadiers said, adding the team had not been presented with formal evidence or asked to participate in any inquiry. The ITA declined to comment and Rozman did not answer phone calls. Rozman was reported by the Irish Independent earlier this month to have exchanged messages in 2012 with a doctor linked to the Operation Aderlass doping scandal that shook the sporting world in 2019. German broadcaster ARD also last month reported exchanges involving Ineos, but did not name Rozman. Operation Aderlass involved a German physician Mark Schmidt, who had been giving illegal blood transfusions to athletes from various disciplines including cycling. Schmidt was later convicted and sentenced in 2021 to four years and 10 months in prison for administering illegal blood transfusions. The 2012 Tour de France was won by Britain's Bradley Wiggins with the team, then known as Team Sky. His former teammate Chris Froome went on to win another four Tour titles for the team. Soigneurs typically look after the cyclists, provide massages and carry out a host of other jobs for the team. Ineos said in its statement that it had commissioned an inquiry by an external law firm after Rozman informed the team of a first meeting with the ITA earlier this year. "Team member David Rozman was informally contacted in April 2025 by a member of ITA staff, who asked him about alleged historical communications," it said. "Although the ITA assured David at the time that he was not under investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough review by an external law firm," it said, without elaborating. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
