Thedeath of a child, people trapped under rubble, a large-scale fire, andoverturned cars—another night of horror for Kharkiv residents. Overnight, aRussian aerial bomb destroyed a high-rise apartment building in Kharkiv.
At around10:44 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2024, the Russian army struck the Saltivka residentialdistrict. An enemy guided aerial bomb caused extensive damage to a high-risebuilding, destroying floor slabs from the fourth to the first floor.
As of themorning of Oct. 31, it was confirmed that a 12-year-old boy had been killed. Hewas pulled from the rubble with severe head injuries and fractures. Medicsperformed resuscitation for half an hour, but the child could not be saved.Thirty-four residents also sustained injuries of varying severity; two are incritical condition, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported on Telegram.
KharkivRegional Military Administration (OVA) head Oleh Syniehubov reported at around 8a.m. that another 15-year-old boy was still under the rubble. As of themorning, the risk of the building collapsing had not been eliminated, meaningthe search-and-rescue operation was continuing under difficult conditions.
The strikesparked a large-scale fire. Residents on the upper floors were trapped by theflames. The fire spread across an area of 80 square meters and was extinguishedat 1:30 a.m.
Localpolice opened an operational headquarters to assist those affected, collectinformation about missing relatives, and provide consultations regardingdamaged property. In the aftermath of the Russian airstrike, body parts werealso found at the scene—likely belonging to victims who showed no signs oflife, the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office reported.
PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack on civilians and once again stressedthe importance of isolating the aggressor state on the international stage.
As areminder, on Oct. 28 Russia attacked central Kharkiv, damaging the historic Derzhprom building—an outstanding example ofConstructivism and a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Workedon the piece:
Topic researcher, text author: Vira Labych
Photo editor: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yuliia Futei
