Devastation in Kharkiv: Drone Assaults Leave City in Turmoil

A harrowing Russian drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, unfolded in the dead of night, claiming at least two lives and injuring 54 people, including children, according to regional officials.

The assault involved 17 drones, which ignited fires across 15 units of a five-storey apartment building and inflicted substantial damage throughout the city, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported.

The attack is part of a pattern of intensified bombings by Russia, purportedly in retaliation to recent Ukrainian offensives, with both nations denying civilian targets, despite the heavy civilian toll.

(With inputs from agencies.)