Russia hits Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia with ballistic missiles

Russian forces launched overnight missile strikes targeting Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, with multiple explosions reported across both cities, according to local officials.

Authorities said a series of powerful blasts were heard in Kharkiv in the early hours of April 3, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration, said preliminary reports indicate missile strikes, though full details are still being confirmed.

Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov initially reported three strikes in the city’s Kyivskyi district, but officials later updated the number to four.

Shortly after the Kharkiv attack, explosions were reported in Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine’s air force warned that missiles were heading toward the city at the time, indicating a coordinated strike.

Unconfirmed reports on social media suggested that Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region may also have been targeted, with a high-speed aerial object detected before a missile was seen heading toward the area.

The latest strikes come amid intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Kharkiv was targeted for more than 24 hours earlier this week, with around 20 drone strikes recorded. One of the attacks caused a fire in a city-center building later identified as a hotel.

Meanwhile, Zaporizhzhia was hit on April 2, with a residential building and a municipal facility damaged by the blast wave.

Officials say the full extent of the damage and any casualties is still being assessed as emergency services continue to respond.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada