KHARKIV, Ukraine — At least two people, including a three-year-old child, were killed and about 28 others injured on Friday after a Russian missile strike tore through a residential apartment block in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, authorities said, as Kyiv prepared to host high-level talks aimed at shaping the next phase of the war.
Ukrainian officials said a multi-storey apartment building was almost completely destroyed in what they described as a dual missile attack that struck on Friday afternoon.
Rescue teams worked through the rubble as dust and debris blanketed the surrounding area, with fears that more victims could still be trapped.
Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the bodies of a woman and a three-year-old child were recovered from the debris, with preliminary information suggesting they were a mother and son.
Among the injured were a six-month-old baby, while 16 of the wounded were taken to the hospital for treatment.
“A search and rescue operation is ongoing, with more than 80 volunteers working at the scene,” Syniehubov said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, calling it “heinous” and accusing Moscow of continuing to target civilians despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
“Unfortunately, this is how the Russians treat life and people – they continue killing, despite all efforts by the world, and especially by the United States, in the diplomatic process,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Russia’s Defence Ministry denied responsibility for the strike, claiming that no missile or aircraft weapons were used in Kharkiv.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry alleged that the explosion was caused by the detonation of Ukrainian ammunition, citing video footage showing “heavy smoke of unknown origin” before the blast.
The Russian ministry further suggested that reports of the Kharkiv strike were intended to divert attention from a separate incident in a Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Kherson region.
Moscow has accused Ukrainian forces of killing at least 27 people and injuring more than 30 others in a drone strike on a New Year’s Eve party in the village of Khorly on the Black Sea.
The BBC said it had not been able to independently verify the claims by either side or confirm casualty figures. Ukraine has maintained that it conducts military operations in line with international humanitarian law and targets only military objectives.
Asked to comment on the Russian allegations, Ukrainian officials declined to directly respond to statements from authorities in occupied territories.
The strike comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment for Kyiv. Ukraine is due to host what Zelensky described as “crunch talks” in the capital on Saturday, bringing together representatives from around 15 countries, alongside delegations from the European Union and NATO. A United States delegation is expected to join the discussions via video link.
The Kyiv meeting precedes a separate gathering of leaders from the so-called “coalition of the willing,” scheduled to take place in France on January 6, as Western allies weigh further military, financial and political support for Ukraine nearly three years into the conflict.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal probe into the alleged Ukrainian strike in Kherson, while the Russian foreign ministry accused Zelensky of attempting to “intimidate the populations of the reunited Russian regions,” referring to Moscow-organised referendums widely dismissed by Kyiv and Western governments as illegal.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been repeatedly targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with residential areas frequently hit by missiles, drones and artillery. Human rights groups and international bodies have previously documented civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure in the region.
As rescue efforts continued on Friday night, Ukrainian officials renewed calls for sustained international pressure on Moscow, warning that attacks on civilians undermine any prospects for a negotiated settlement and deepen the humanitarian toll of the war.
