KHARKIV, June 11 — A quiet night in Kharkiv turned into a nightmare as Russian drones rained destruction on Ukraine’s northeastern city in the early hours of Wednesday. The attack left three people dead and at least 60 others wounded — including several children — in yet another heartbreaking episode of a war that seems to have no end.
The assault came just days after Russia dismissed calls for an unconditional ceasefire, instead pressing forward with a wave of missile and drone attacks that have become a grim routine for Ukrainians. For the people of Kharkiv, only 30 kilometers from the Russian border, that reality hit home — hard.
“I ran into the hallway with my children the moment I heard the buzzing,” said 41-year-old pharmacist Olena Khoruzheva, her voice shaking as she described the terrifying minutes before impact. “My younger son lay on the floor, covering his head with his hands. I threw myself over him.”
There was a brief moment of silence, then chaos. A deafening explosion threw them against the wall. “And then — screaming. People were yelling, ‘Help! Help!’” she recalled.
One of the victims killed was Olena’s 65-year-old neighbor. In the morning, rescue teams gently placed his body into a black body bag, one more soul lost to a war that continues to take innocent lives.
Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov reported that 17 drones struck two districts of the city overnight. Streets were littered with shattered glass and debris, cars burned out, buildings gutted. The human cost — families torn apart, lives shattered — continues to mount.
Meanwhile, peace talks have hit a wall. Russia has refused to stop its aggression unless Ukraine agrees to surrender territory and abandon its hopes of joining NATO — demands Kyiv calls outright ultimatums.
Still, there are glimmers of humanity. In a rare exchange, more than 1,000 prisoners of war were swapped earlier this week, with both sides also agreeing to return the bodies of fallen soldiers to their families.
President Zelensky, weary but resolute, continues to call for stronger sanctions from Western allies ahead of this weekend’s G7 summit in Canada. Across the border, Russia claims to have intercepted a wave of Ukrainian drones in retaliation.
But for those in Kharkiv, the politics are distant noise compared to the sound of sirens, the smell of smoke, and the faces of lost loved ones.
As rescue workers clear the rubble, the question on everyone’s lips remains painfully simple: when will this end?
— AFP
