Russia Strikes Ukraine Hospital and Energy Sites, Injuring at Least 73
Theo Al Jazeera Staff
Russia struck a hospital in Kharkiv and hit energy facilities across Ukraine overnight, injuring at least 73 people. President Zelenskyy called it a "complex, large-scale" attack, saying Moscow fired 289 drones and 76 missiles.
At least 73 people were injured when Russia struck a hospital in the city of Kharkiv, while energy infrastructure in other regions of Ukraine was also hit in overnight air raids. Ukrainian officials described it as one of the largest coordinated attacks targeting both medical facilities and the power grid.
In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia "struck a city clinical hospital directly," injuring 73 people and damaging the cardiology department where patients were being treated.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed on Telegram that the hospital suffered heavy damage in the overnight bombardment on Monday, with more than 1,000 windows shattered.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian energy facilities were attacked at the same time, including in Kharkiv. The Ukrainian leader called it a "complex, large-scale" attack and said the main targets were power generation facilities and substations in the Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv and Rivne regions.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched 289 attack drones overnight, along with 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles. The assault came just a day after an air strike on an aid distribution center that killed at least 29 people.
On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry said it had targeted power facilities in the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, saying those sites supplied electricity to the Ukrainian military and defense plants.
The consequences of the attacks spilled over into civilian life. Vitalii Bunechko, governor of the Zhytomyr region, said more than 180,000 people in the area lost power on Tuesday morning. The city of Odesa, meanwhile, introduced rolling blackout schedules to cope with the situation.
In the other direction, Mikhail Yevrayev, governor of Russia's Yaroslavl region, said two workers at an oil refinery were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack that sparked a fire at the facility.
The latest military developments come as the United States steps up efforts to end the war. A meeting between US, Russian and Ukrainian officials is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi next week. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on X that discussions would focus on "post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace."
According to Witkoff, US negotiators will meet representatives of France, Germany, the UK, the European Union and NATO in Brussels this week to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe's post-war security architecture and economic opportunities to support Ukraine's reconstruction.
The backdrop comes as global attention turns to the US midterm elections on Tuesday. According to an Al Jazeera correspondent in Kyiv, the vote is seen as the most important in years for Ukrainians, because US military aid to the country has not come in large packages since President Donald Trump's administration took office and the House and Senate came under Republican control, while Europe has largely filled the gap.
