Russia hits hospitals, iconic Kharkiv skyscraper in overnight barrage

KYIV — Russia launched a massive attack on cities around Ukraine late Monday which continued into Tuesday morning, with local authorities reporting massive destruction of infrastructure and civilians killed in Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih.

In Kharkiv, Russia deployed a 500-kilogram bomb Monday night that severely damaged the 1928 Derzhprom building, one of the most famous Constructivist towers in the world and the first modern skyscraper completed in the Soviet Union. Nine people were wounded in the attack on the building, which is currently under UNESCO temporary protection, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synegubov said on Telegram. Later, Russia attacked Kharkiv again, damaging nine residential buildings, including a hospital, and killing four people.

In a pointed message to United Nations chief António Guterres, who met with Vladimir Putin in Russia last week, where he smiled at and shook hands with the Russian ruler, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram: “Every handshake with the war criminal Putin gives him confidence. Every kind smile convinces him that he can get away with his crimes. Instead of flirting with him, we must force him to peace through our collective resolve.”

In Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, the Russian army struck a residential district with a ballistic missile overnight, destroying a three-story building and damaging 20 more, including a hospital, local Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said.

“Unfortunately, 14 people were injured, and a 39-year-old man died of severe open brain injury. Ten people are in the city’s hospitals, the condition of one 60-year-old patient is serious, he is in intensive care, and the others are in moderate condition,” Vilkul said in a statement.

Russian drones also targeted Kyiv, with the capital under attack for the third night in a row. While Ukraine’s air defenses destroyed the drones, debris fell in two districts, wounding six people and damaging several buildings, Kyiv military administration head Serhiy Popko said in a statement.