Death toll from Russian strike on hypermarket in Ukraine's Kharkiv rises

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said it took more than 16 hours to extinguish a fire caused by the strike that spread to more than 13,000 square meters. (Photo/AFP)

The death toll from a Russian air strike on a hypermarket in Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv rose to 16, local authorities have said.

"Unfortunately, 16 people have died. The data is being updated," Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov wrote on Telegram on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Synyehubov said 12 people were killed in the attack, which targeted a local hypermarket and damaged a furniture store and a shopping centre. He claimed that the strike was carried out using two guided bombs.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said it took more than 16 hours to extinguish a fire caused by the strike that spread to more than 13,000 square metres.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service later reported that the number of those injured rose to 44, adding that search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

“There is not a single district or street in Kharkiv that hasn’t suffered from this regular cruelty,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video speech recorded at the remains of a local printing house in Kharkiv that was destroyed in a missile strike on Thursday.

While Ukraine was defending itself 60 kilometres northeast of the city, Russia was preparing for another offensive 90 kilometres northwest of the city, he said.

Ukraine peace summit

Zelenskyy went on to emphasise the importance of global efforts to end the war, specifically the upcoming Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland on June 15-16 and invited his US and Chinese counterparts to attend the event.

He added that the summit would show "who in the world wants to end the war and not just claim the ceasefire which will inevitably be broken by Russian rockets and artillery just like it was dozens, dozens of times before".

On May 10, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said Russian forces attempted to breach the country’s defences in the Kharkiv region, opening a new front in the over two-year-long conflict that is concentrated in the country’s east and south.

Clashes in the region have intensified since then, particularly near Vovchansk, which is located about 74 kilometres from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Russia claims to have seized control of multiple border settlements since the start of its offensive on the Kharkiv front, as well as other fronts including Donetsk.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have claimed that Russia is planning a similar assault in the northeastern Sumy region, which Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied.

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Source: TRT